When humans die they go to either heaven or hell; but when two people die in the same instant a judgement must be made as to which soul goes on to be reincarnated and which goes to the void. When this happens, the humans arrive, with no memories of their death, at QuinDecim a bar attended by the white-haired bartender Decim (pronounced Dek-imm). They must then play a game in which their true natures are revealed so that Decim, an arbiter of souls, can make his judgement on where their souls are headed.
—Kate Midgley