Waiting to die can be a fate worse than death. Mansour Ziaee is awaiting execution in a Tehran prison for committing murder. Because Iran follows Islamic law in carrying out capital punishment, the victim’s family must be present at the execution. The family of Ziaee’s victim repeatedly fails to show for his execution date, causing the execution to be postponed for another 40 days. Ziaee wallows in a personal purgatory that makes death seem like a sweet escape.