Thirty-five-year-old Ben Lerner is one of the most interesting young writers in the United States. Three of his poetry collections have won prestigious awards, and his first novel has been recognized as the best book of the year by many reputable magazines. His second novel, 10:04 p.m., takes place in hurricane-shattered New York. An aspiring writer almost simultaneously learns about the dizzying success of his book, about the danger of a fatal hereditary disease looming over him, and about his friend’s desire to conceive a child with his help through artificial insemination. The threat of sudden death, combined with the prospect of fatherhood, sharpens his perception of life. Against the backdrop of everyday personal mini-crises and the great general crisis of his life, in constant echo with the film "Back to the Future", he begins to perceive what is happening differently and imagine a certain future world, where everything will be almost the same as in our world , just a little differently.