Mateo receives the Death-Cast call in his bedroom around midnight, learning he will die before the day is over.

Rufus receives his Death-Cast call while beating up his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, Peck, in a parking lot.

Peck calls the police on Rufus during his own End Day funeral, forcing Rufus to flee out the back door.

Mateo and Rufus find each other on the Last Friend app and agree to spend their End Day together.

Rufus arrives at Mateo's apartment building and the two step outside into the night together for the first time.

Mateo and Rufus visit Mateo's father, who lies comatose in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

Rufus tells Mateo how his parents and sister all drowned after their car flipped into the Hudson River.

Mateo and Rufus sit together inside the freshly dug grave next to Mateo's mother's headstone at Evergreens Cemetery.

A bomb planted inside a gym by a dying ex-wrestler explodes, throwing Mateo and Rufus off their feet.

Mateo, Rufus, and Lidia jump together off a virtual waterfall at the World Travel Arena.

Mateo and Rufus take the stage at Clint's Graveyard and perform a moving karaoke version of 'American Pie.'

Backstage at Clint's Graveyard after their karaoke performance, Mateo finally works up the courage to kiss Rufus.

Peck draws a gun at Clint's Graveyard; Mateo punches him and Rufus seizes and unloads the weapon.

Back at Mateo's apartment, Mateo and Rufus lie in bed, profess their love, and fall asleep together.

A gas leak ignites in Mateo's apartment, killing him instantly; Rufus wakes in smoke and finds his body.

The story begins when both Mateo and Rufus independently receive calls from Death-Cast in the early hours of the morning, learning they will die before the day ends. Mateo uses the Last Friend app to find Rufus, and despite being strangers, the two agree to spend their End Day together and step out into the world. As the hours pass, they visit Mateo's comatose father in the hospital, sit inside Mateo's own freshly dug grave at Evergreens Cemetery, and narrowly survive a bomb explosion outside a gym. Their bond reaches its peak at Clint's Graveyard, where they perform an emotional karaoke duet, Mateo kisses Rufus, and Peck arrives with a gun — forcing them to fight back and flee. The day ends in tragedy when a gas leak ignites in Mateo's apartment, killing him instantly, and Rufus wakes to find his body in the smoke.

The headline events of Mateo and Rufus's final day together.

Mateo logs onto the Death-Cast website and struggles to write his life story in eight words for his headstone.

Rufus gathers his foster family in their living room for a makeshift funeral to say goodbye on his End Day.

Rufus spots graffiti advertising the Last Friend app on a wall near a gas station and downloads it.

Malcolm deliberately argues with police and gets himself arrested so Rufus has time to escape out the back.

Mateo and Rufus find a dead bird in the road and bury it together in a community garden.

Mateo and Rufus share breakfast at Rufus's favorite 24-hour diner, the Cannon Café, where Deckers eat for free.

Before leaving Lidia's apartment, Mateo quietly places an envelope with $400 cash on her kitchen counter.

Mateo and Rufus try a virtual reality skydiving experience at a Make-A-Moment station but find it underwhelming.

Lidia figures out it is Mateo's End Day by piecing together the clues left behind during his early-morning visit.

Mateo and Rufus stop at a cluster of abandoned pay phones and discuss how everything they love eventually disappears.

Mateo and Rufus browse the Open Bookstore, buying postcards and a wrapped mystery book to leave for a stranger.

Mateo, Rufus, and Lidia reunite at the World Travel Arena and take a virtual tour visiting multiple countries.

Rufus posts a photo of Clint's Graveyard's sign to Instagram, accidentally revealing his location to Peck.

Tagoe, Malcolm, and Aimee arrive at Clint's Graveyard to say their final goodbyes to Rufus.

Rufus visits Mateo's unconscious father in the hospital and plays him a recording of Mateo singing.

Before Mateo and Rufus even meet, each faces the reality of their End Day in their own way — Mateo wrestling with a headstone inscription while Rufus holds a farewell funeral with his foster family at Pluto. Their friendship deepens quickly through small but meaningful acts: burying a dead bird, sharing breakfast at a diner, and Mateo quietly leaving money for his best friend Lidia without telling her why. The day takes them through virtual skydiving, a stop at abandoned pay phones, and a bookstore where they buy postcards and a mystery book to leave for a stranger to find. The supporting characters feel the weight of the day too, with Lidia piecing together the truth of Mateo's End Day and Tagoe, Malcolm, and Aimee racing to Clint's Graveyard for one last goodbye. The pool closes with Rufus alone, sitting at the bedside of Mateo's comatose father to deliver the news and play a final recording of his son's voice.

The supporting moments that shaped Mateo and Rufus's End Day.

Rufus calls his ex-girlfriend Aimee from outside a church on his End Day and asks her to meet him.

Mateo downloads the Last Friend app and creates his first-ever profile, declaring he is going for it.

Mateo overhears Rufus's FaceTime call revealing the assault on Peck and flees from him in fear.

Mateo and Rufus reconcile in Central Park near Alice in Wonderland statues, where Rufus explains why he attacked Peck.

Mateo falls asleep on the subway and Rufus holds his arm to comfort him through a nightmare.

Mateo kneels at his mother's gravestone at Evergreens Cemetery and tells her he will be joining her soon.

Standing on a pier by the Hudson River, Rufus breaks down weeping over the guilt of surviving his family.

Deirdre steps back from the ledge of her rooftop after spotting two boys living fully on the street below.

Mateo climbs onto the back of Rufus's bike and discovers the thrill is better than any virtual experience.

Mateo and Rufus play Gladiator on a jungle gym and then swing together talking about the afterlife in Althea Park.

Mateo calls Lidia from Rufus's phone and finally admits it is his End Day so they can reunite.

Mateo comes out to Lidia in the bathroom of Clint's Graveyard, and she embraces him in acceptance.

Mateo sits at his keyboard and plays Elton John's 'Your Song' for Rufus, moving him to tears.

Delilah realizes her Death-Cast call was not a prank when her ex-boyfriend Victor confirms he did not make it.

Rufus crosses the street without checking for cars, listening to a recording of Mateo's voice through his headphones.

The emotional turning points of the story begin before Mateo and Rufus even meet — Rufus calling Aimee from outside a church to tell her it is his End Day, and Mateo making the brave decision to download Last Friend and declare he is finally going for it. When Mateo overhears the truth about the assault on Peck and flees in fear, their subsequent reconciliation in Central Park becomes a defining act of trust, and Rufus's breakdown at the Hudson River pier marks the first moment he truly confronts his survivor's guilt. Smaller acts of courage accumulate — Mateo riding on the back of Rufus's bike, playing Gladiator in the park, calling Lidia to admit the truth — and each one chips away at the fearful, isolated person Mateo was at midnight. Coming out to Lidia in the club bathroom and playing a heartfelt song for Rufus on the keyboard represent Mateo fully becoming himself. The pool closes with parallel endings: Delilah realizing she wasted her own End Day, and Rufus stepping into the street without looking, ready to follow Mateo into whatever comes next.

The key decisions, discoveries, and emotional shifts that define Mateo and Rufus's story.