Act Three: Thanks, Chuck Middle school teacher Marty Anderson notes unusual things happening around the world, from natural disasters to the worldwide loss of the Internet. Several billboards and advertisements popping up everywhere display the picture of an accountant named Charles "Chuck" Krantz, with the words "Charles Krantz: 39 Great Years! Thanks, Chuck!" Marty's ex-wife, Felicia Gordon, calls him and they ponder if the end of the universe is upon them. Marty describes
Carl Sagan's
Cosmic Calendar, a method to visualise the age of the universe in a single calendar year. Both of them begin seeing more disasters and supernatural occurrences. After losing telephone service and electricity, Marty goes to Felicia's home so they can stay with each other in the universe's final moments, watching as the stars vanish one by one. The end of the universe is revealed to be connected to 39-year-old Chuck, who is bedridden in a hospital, dying from a
brain tumor. He is accompanied by his wife, Ginny, and his son, Brian. Chuck dies as Ginny tells him, "39 great years. Thanks, Chuck." Meanwhile Marty tells Felicia, "I love you", just as the universe appears to abruptly end.
Act Two: Buskers Forever Nine months before his death, Chuck is attending a banking conference. While walking outside, he stumbles upon a
busking drummer named Taylor Franck, who sees Chuck and begins drumming for him. He is moved to dance on the spot, attracting a crowd. Janice Halliday, a young woman who has been dumped by her boyfriend via text, joins Chuck and they dance together, although he is momentarily hampered by a headache before continuing on to the crowd's joy. Chuck and Janice help Taylor pack up and the three split the profits at Taylor's insistence. Chuck admits he is unsure why he decided to dance as soon as he heard Taylor playing. Taylor suggests they form a traveling troupe, but he and Janice decline and the three part ways with a group hug. Chuck resumes his day, still pondering on why he danced, but in the coming months, as his health declines, he has the feeling that the world was made just for that moment.
Act One: I Contain Multitudes As a young child, Chuck loses his father and pregnant mother in a car crash. He then lives with his paternal grandparents, Albie and Sarah. The bright Sarah teaches Chuck how to enjoy dancing. The sardonic Albie turns to alcohol after his son's death and forbids Chuck to enter the
cupola at the top of the house, hinting that he has seen the ghosts of people there before they die. During the conversation about this, a TV in the background is showing Carl Sagan describing the Cosmic Calendar. At school Chuck asks his idealistic teacher, Ms Richards, the meaning of the phrase "I contain multitudes" from the
Walt Whitman poem "
Song of Myself". Richards explains to him that he contains multitudes, with the memories he gains over the course of his life forming a universe in his head. Sarah dies after collapsing in a supermarket, worsening Albie's alcoholism. Inspired by his grandmother, Chuck joins his school's dance
extracurricular program "Twirlers and Spinners", where he emerges as the best dancer in the club and teaches them how to
moonwalk. Chuck has a crush on Cat McCoy, an older and taller girl who is frequently partnered with him. Despite having a boyfriend, she asks him to share a dance at their school's Fall Fling. Chuck expresses his interest in pursuing dance to his grandfather, but Albie dismisses him and instead encourages him to be an accountant like him, sharing how math is seen in and necessary in everything. At the Fall Fling, Chuck is hesitant at first, but decides to let loose and dances with Cat in front of the large crowd, earning cheers from everyone including Marty and Felicia, with the former revealed to be a teacher at Chuck's school. After being kissed by Cat, Chuck dances by himself outside in the school field, but he injures his hand in the process which leaves a scar. Years later Albie dies, leaving the teenaged Chuck to inherit everything, including their house. His maternal grandparents from
Omaha travel to stay with him until he goes off to college. Now in possession of the key to the cupola, Chuck finally decides to enter it and sees an apparition of himself on his deathbed as an adult, which he identifies through his scar. Despite this, he dismisses his vision, promising to live life to the fullest, saying, "I am wonderful, I deserve to be wonderful, and I contain multitudes." ==Cast==