Dr Z (the book) is a story with four threads. Dr Z (the person) winds down his practice and moves back across the country. His friend Max completes his internship and tries not to fall in love. In his new office Dr Z collects a bundle of protest letters from his ex-patients who must now survive without him. Dr Z records the story of his grandfather, the family patriarch after years of procrastination. The four strands of the story share a medical theme, perhaps more.