A Matter of Life and Death

In May 1945, Squadron Leader Peter Carter flies a badly damaged Lancaster over the English Channel after a mission over Germany. With his parachute destroyed, he orders his crew to bail out and braces for death as his radio operator June at a U.S. base on the English coast receives his distress. He jumps from the burning aircraft, believing he will die.

Carter awakens on a sandy shore near June's base, surprised to find himself alive after the jump. He initially mistakes the experience for an afterlife until a Mosquito flies low overhead, hinting he is still on Earth. The reality of his survival begins to dawn as the situation becomes clear.

Carter meets June while she cycles home from her night shift and they quickly fall in love. Their growing bond complicates Carter's belief that he must return to the Other World. The romance becomes a central force driving the forthcoming appeal and moral questions about life on Earth.

Conductor 71 stops time to explain Carter's predicament and urges him to accept death and travel to the Other World. Carter refuses and demands an appeal, initiating a formal, otherworldly review of his fate. The stage is set for a celestial court to decide whether earthly life can continue.

Conductor 71 consults higher powers and returns to tell Carter that he has been granted an appeal and three days to prepare his case. He can choose a defense counsel from among all who have ever died, a daunting task. Carter is left weighing his options as the clock ticks.

Carter's visions are examined by Doctor Reeves, who diagnoses a brain injury—adhesive arachnoiditis from a slight concussion two years earlier—and arranges for surgery. The medical crisis runs in parallel with the legal drama, linking the fates of body and soul. The hospital scene foreshadows the gravity of the case.

As Reeves darts to find the ambulance, a motorcycle accident ends his life, yet his spirit persists to assist Carter as counsel. His untimely death adds urgency and personal stake to the appeal. This unlikely advocate becomes the bridge between medicine, law, and the afterlife.

Reeves argues that Carter's earthly life was extended through no fault of his own and his love for June creates a genuine earthly commitment that should take precedence. American prosecutor Abraham Farlan counters, and the celestial court considers whether a supernatural rule should bend for human emotion. The jury is initially arranged with British prejudices, prompting a change to a diverse, modern American jury.

June is brought to testify and reveals the depth of her love for Carter. She declares that the only way to save him is for her to take his place, stepping onto the stairway toward the Other World. The stairway halts and she returns to Carter's arms, testifying to the power of love over law.

The jury rules in Carter's favor, recognizing his earthly ties and Reeves's persuasive arguments. The Judge reveals Carter's new lifespan, a generous extension granted to him, and the two combatants—Reeves and Farlan—exchange supportive banter in a rare moment of humor amid the legal drama.

In the operating room, the masked surgeon—revealed to be the Judge—performs the critical procedure and declares the operation a success. The revelation ties the fates of life and law together, underscoring the film's message that divine justice can accommodate human love.

With life extended, Carter remains on Earth and the story closes on a note that love has prevailed over the rigidity of fate. The film ends on the idea that love is stronger than any law, even in the universe's order, leaving Carter with a future alongside June.