Seize the Day deftly interweaves humor and pathos, capturing the climactic events of a single, transformative day. The story unfolds with Tommy Wilhelm, a man in his mid-forties, who finds himself temporarily residing in the Hotel Gloriana on the Upper West Side of New York City. Here, amidst the elderly retirees, he stands out as a figure of isolation.

This novella traverses a pivotal day in Tommy's life — his "day of reckoning." He grapples with his past mistakes and spiritual malaise, confronting his separation from his wife and children, strained relationship with his vain and successful father, and the failures of his acting career. A mysterious philosophizing con man offers him a moment of truth and understanding, shining a light on one last hope.