A family in financial trouble receives a mysterious box with a red button. A man named Stuart offers them $1 million to press the button, but warns that it will result in the death of a stranger somewhere in the world. The family, Artur and Norma, are initially hesitant but eventually decide to press the button. After doing so, they receive the money, but strange events begin to occur. They soon discover that Stuart is not what he seems and that he has connections to NASA and a mysterious organization. As the story unfolds, Artur and Norma are faced with a series of challenges and choices that test their morality and sanity. Ultimately, they are forced to make a devastating decision that results in the death of one of their loved ones. The story concludes with Artur being taken away by the police, and the cycle of events repeating itself with a new family receiving the mysterious box.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. A family in financial trouble receives a mysterious visit from a man named Stuart.
2. Stuart offers them a deal: press a red button and receive a million dollars, but someone somewhere else will die.
3. The family, Norma and Artur, are initially hesitant but eventually decide to press the button.
4. After pressing the button, a woman is reported dead in a nearby town.
5. Norma and Artur receive the million dollars, but their lives become increasingly strange and surreal.
6. Artur discovers that the mysterious car is registered in the name of NASA.
7. Artur's son, Walter, is kidnapped by unknown men.
8. Artur is shown confidential CIA documents that mention something living in the body of a 70-year-old man named Stuart.
9. The husband of the murdered woman reveals that his wife also pressed the button and that he had to kill her to save his daughter.
10. Artur and Norma are given two options by Stuart: live with their son, who is now blind and deaf, or Artur can shoot Norma's heart and their spirits will leave their bodies.
11. Artur threatens Stuart with a gun, but ultimately decides to shoot Norma to save their son.
12. The police arrive and take Artur into custody, but the car that takes him away does not seem to be a real police car.
13. The story ends with another family receiving the red button and debating whether to press it.