PLOT
A portal through time forces a fabric-seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past errors and the temptation of second chances ; an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people, but for all of reality ; a newfound ability to glimpse into alternate universes forces a radical re-examination of the concepts of choice and free will.
In Exhalation, Ted Chiang addresses the most fundamental of issues - What is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human?