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Opening Credits: Blackboard joke: I will not cut corners. (Followed by a list of ditto marks underneath.) Couch gag: Everyone runs in and sits on the couch, but their weight and momentum tip the couch over backwards. All that is visible are their feet, and Maggie pops her head up to look at the TV.

Act One: The episode begins in the kitchen, where Homer waits impatiently for a meat loaf dinner cooking in the microwave. When the microwave dings, Homer calls everyone into the kitchen for dinner. A gloomy Lisa complains about the fact that every Thursday the family eats meat loaf for dinner. She suggests trying something different on Friday night, and Marge supports the idea. Homer isn’t too happy though, as Friday night is always pork chop night. After some convincing and begging, Homer grants Lisa’s wish and they decide to eat out at a sushi restaurant the next night.

On Friday night the Simpson family enter The Happy Sumo, the local sushi restaurant. Inside the restaurant, a Japanese hostess shows the Simpsons to their table; on the way she introduces them to the chefs behind the counter, and shows them the karaoke bar. Once the family is seated, Akira, their waiter, comes out to take their order. Everyone quickly orders, except for Homer, who reluctantly decides on a few different dishes. Cut to the kitchen, where the master chef expertly prepares a dish and his apprentice struggles with preparing another. Back in the restaurant, Akira serves the Simpsons their food. A grumbling Homer closes his eyes and pinches his nose, as he tries his first piece of sushi. He is surprised to find out that he actually likes the sushi, and quickly begins gobbling up the rest of his meal. A quick cut to the karaoke bar, reveals that it is filled with Japanese business men and up on stage a Japanese man sings Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves by Cher.

Homer eagerly orders more food off the menu to try. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa have made their way on stage in the karaoke bar, and they perform the theme to Shaft. By now, Homer has tried everything on the menu, except for a fish called “fugu.” He asks Akira to bring him some fugu; Akira attempts to tell Homer the dangers of eating the poisonous fish, but Homer will hear none of it and demands some fugu. In the kitchen, the master chef hears a car horn honk in the parking lot; he tells the apprentice to cover for him for a little while. As soon as the master chef disappears, Akira walks into the kitchen and orders some fugu for Homer. The apprentice becomes a little overwhelmed and remarks that fugu can be potentially fatal if prepared improperly, so he goes out to the parking lot to find the master chef. Cut to the backseat of Mrs. Krabappel’s car, where she and the master chef are, “getting busy.” The apprentice walks up to the car and interrupts them, telling the master chef that he is needed in the kitchen. But the master chef tells the apprentice that whatever it is, that he has to do it. Back in the kitchen, the apprentice studies a diagram of fugu, which looks like a spiky puffer fish, and concentrates as he prepares Homer’s dish. Cut to Homer, who finishes his fugu, as Akira and the apprentice chef watch. In the kitchen the master chef returns and is shocked and mortified to see that someone has prepared fugu, without his expertise. Both chefs and Akira rush out to tell Homer that they have reason to believe he has eaten poison. They recommend that he be rushed to the hospital.

Quick cut to a wailing ambulance, and then cut to Homer, who is in his underwear and waiting alone in a hospital room for news from Dr. Hibbert. Dr. Hibbert and Marge walk into the room with somber faces, and Dr. Hibbert informs Homer that if in fact he has consumed the fatal poison, he has 24 hours left to live. Dr. Hibbert leaves the room and gives Marge and Homer some privacy. They both look at each other and come to grips with Homer’s fate.

Act Two: That night as Marge sobs and lies with Homer in bed, she asks him what he is going to say to the kids. He says that he doesn’t want them to know, and he prepares a list of things to do before he dies. Marge makes one request for his list and asks if they can watch the sunrise together the next morning. Homer agrees, clicks off the light, and tells her he’ll see her bright and early at 6:00 AM. At 6:00 AM the next morning, the alarm clock beeps and Homer smacks the clock shutting it off. Later at 11:30 he finally wakes up and is shocked at what time it is.

Downstairs, Marge prepares breakfast for Homer who quickly eats and rushes off to do the things on his list. Homer heads up to Bart’s room and has a heart to heart talk with him, offers him some advice for when he grows up, and shows him how to shave. Later, in Lisa’s room, Homer listens to her play her saxophone. Lisa starts playing some blues, but senses Homer’s depression and quickly switches to When the Saints Go Marching In. Homer’s depression fades and he cheerfully dances around Lisa’s room singing what he thinks are the words to the song. Afterwards, Homer goes over to Ned’s house to borrow his camcorder to make a videotape for Maggie. Ned invites Homer to a barbeque the next day; Homer doesn’t want to go, but he suddenly agrees. A sly grin comes across his face as he realizes that he’ll be dead by tomorrow. Cut to the Simpson living room as Homer sets up the camcorder and records a message for Maggie. Homer tells Maggie what kind of a man he is and halfway through his message the phone rings. A grumpy Homer answers, and scratches his butt in front of the camera.

Homer visits the retirement castle to make peace with his dad; he walks into Grandpa’s room and tells him that he loves him. As they embrace Homer crosses this task off the list and attempts to leave. But Grandpa doesn’t want Homer to leave, he suggests they go fishing together. Homer wants to say no, but after looking into his dad’s eyes, he agrees. Cut to a montage of Homer and Grandpa fishing, playing catch and wrestling. During each activity Homer has to cross off another item on his list that he won’t have time for. Eventually, Homer tells Grandpa that he has to go and pulls away in his car with Grandpa clinging on his window, starved for more attention. Homer speeds off in a hurry to get home and on his way he sees flashers in the rear view mirror, and he pulls over. Eddie and Lou, the local cops walk up to Homer’s window, and when Homer orders them to hurry up and give him a ticket, they instead decide to haul him off to jail.

Act Three: Homer sits glumly in his cell and is finally awarded his phone call. Rather than call Marge, Homer decides not to worry her, and he calls Barney instead. He tells Barney to bring some money to bail him out. Cut to the Simpson home; Marge and the kids are dressed in their Sunday best, and waiting at the dinner table for Homer to come home. The kids don’t understand why they are all dressed up, or why Marge has used the good china for dinner. Marge is distant, as she looks out the window and wonders where Homer could be. Meanwhile, Barney scraps together 50 dollars for bail, and drives Homer home. On the way, Homer spots Mr. Burns sitting on a park bench, he tells Barney to slow down, and as they drive by Homer yells, “Eat my shorts,” to Mr. Burns. Homer can’t believe his luck and scratches “tell off boss” from his list. Barney begs Homer to have one last beer with the guys at Moe’s. Homer tells him it is on his list, but he just doesn’t have any time to do it now. After Barney persists, Homer recants and says yes to Barney. As soon as they arrive at Moe’s Homer walks to the back and uses the pay phone to call home. Just as he does, the phone up at the bar rings, and it is Bart playing a prank call on Moe. Homer returns to bar bummed because the phone at home was busy. After drinking a beer, Homer gives Moe a kiss and confesses his love to the guys at the bar. Then after looking at the clock, Homer and Barney rush out to get home. Cut to Homer, impatiently waiting in Barney’s passenger seat as Barney repairs a flat tire on the side of the highway. Homer can’t wait any longer; he gets out of the car and runs home.

As the Marge and the kids wait in the living room, Homer runs up to the bay window yelling Marge’s name. Homer rushes inside, quickly gives each kid a kiss and whisks Marge upstairs to their bedroom. While Homer gargles in the bathroom, Marge reads a poem she wrote for him. “Snuggling” commences, and after Marge falls asleep, Homer silently sneaks out of bed. He kisses each kid on the forehead as they sleep and goes downstairs for his final hours. In the living room Homer decides to listen to the Bible, as read by Larry King on tape. He sits down in an easy chair and later in the early hours of the morning as the Larry King Bible tape ends, Homer suddenly slumps over lifeless in the chair. As the suns rises, Marge wakes up alone in the bed. She gets up and anxiously looks for Homer. She finds him slumped over in the easy chair and realizes he has passed. As she mourns over him, she caresses his face. She is surprised though, as she touches warm drool on his chin. Marge realizes he must not be dead, and happily wakes him up. Homer is elated to discover he is still alive. He and Marge jump around in celebration, and Homer exclaims, “From this day forward, I vow to live life to its fullest!” Cut to later, as Homer silently munches on pork rinds, while watching bowling on TV.

End Credits: The credits roll over a continuous shot of Homer eating pork rinds and watching bowling on TV. Two announcers talking about bowling can be heard in the background.

Run Time: 23:08