Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of domestic abuse, graphic violence, and death.

A mysterious package arrives on the apartment doorstep of Norma and Arthur Lewis’s suite in New York City. Norma brings it inside and opens it to find a button covered by a locked clear dome. There is also a note saying that a man named Mr. Steward will visit at 8 pm Norma smiles and sets the package aside until the evening. When Mr. Steward arrives, he casually explains that if someone were to push the button, they would be awarded $50,000, but someone they don’t know will die. Arthur finds the idea ridiculous and thinks it must be a joke. When Mr. Steward insists that it is a genuine offer, Arthur angrily refuses and gives back the button. Mr. Steward leaves his business card.

That night, Norma starts to get curious about the offer and wonders whether a wealthy eccentric or a psychological study might be behind it all. Arthur insists that she forget about it; he tears up Mr. Steward’s business card. The next morning, Norma repairs the card and calls Mr. Steward. He reassures her that the offer is real, and Norma starts to seriously consider it.