Sam Forstmann is an old man who thinks he will die if his grandfather clock stops ticking. He spends all of his time working on the clock, upsetting his family with his obsession. He speaks with a psychiatrist and reveals his fear. The psychiatrist advises him to sell the clock, which he does, but offers to maintain it for the new owners. Two weeks after he sells the clock, the new owners go on vacation for the weekend, so Sam cannot wind the clock. The clock stops, so he is forced to confront his fear of death (and his "spirit," informing him "It's time to go"). He chooses to stop believing in the clock's "power," declaring instead that he wants to live to see his great-grandchild grow up- so he therefore continues to live (and the "spirit" vanishes). As he tells his expectant granddaught