With little time left due to a terminal disease, Henry Poole buys a cookie-cutter house in a Los Angeles suburb and waits peacefully to die. However, he starts hearing a voice from next door that seems to be mimicking him perfectly. Upon investigating, Henry discovers that it's his neighbor's mute daughter with a tape recorder. Meanwhile, his other neighbor, Esperanza, believes a stain on Henry's patio is the face of Jesus and begins showing it off to people.