Why does Skippy, a 14-year-old student at the prestigious Catholic school Seabrook, drop dead in a local cafe? Is this connected with his classmate Ruprecht's attempts to open a portal to a parallel universe? Is it the fault of the young drug dealer Karl, who persistently seduces the girl who became Skippy’s first love? Or maybe the ruthless school principal or the monks teaching at Seabrook have something to hide? Irish writer Paul Murray's novel Skippy Dies begins with the death of the title character, but describes both what preceded it and how events developed afterwards.