After her Opportunity Class stages a play about her grandmother's famous novel, Abomination, Sophie St. John's suspicions that her family is keeping something from her are confirmed. While doing her Legal Studies homework she discovers a case, a lawsuit launched by her parents when she was born that reveals that Sophie has a serious disease, a reduced life expectancy and that she might be very rich.Faced with the reality that she may not have much time left, Sophie ponders what it means to really live and bravely decides to face the future on her own terms.

While Life Expectancy explores disability and dying, it is ultimately a story about love, meaning, and finding the courage to live fully in the face of uncertainty.