The First to Die at the End

The First to Die at the End is the prequel to Adam Silvera’s They Both Die at the End (2010), and together, they form the Death-Cast series. They Both Die at the End was on the American Library Association’s Rainbow List Top Ten and was a New York Times bestseller. It also received starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews. Both books in the series discuss themes of approaching death by living life to the fullest and center around LGTBQ+ teens of color.

This guide refers to the 2022 edition of The First to Die at the End published by HarperCollins Publishers.

Plot Summary

The novel opens on July 30, 2010, at 10:10 p.m. as Orion Pagan goes to Times Square with his adoptive sister, Dalma Young, for the launch of Death-Cast, a service that calls to tell you that today is your “End Day,” the day that you’re going to die. People who receive calls are called “Deckers.” It is a controversial service, but they are both signed up.

Shifting perspectives, at 10:22 p.m., Valentino Prince arrives in New York from Arizona. He stops by his apartment and then decides to go to the party in Times Square since his twin sister, Scarlett, won’t be arriving for another few hours. By chance, he stands next to Orion and Dalma, and Orion introduces himself to Valentino. They discover Valentino isn’t signed up for Death-Cast, and both share their reasoning for opting into the service. Orion has a heart condition, and his parents died on September 11, 2001. He wants to be able to say goodbye to his loved ones because his parents never did. Valentino, who identifies with Orion’s story since his sister recently had a near-death experience, quickly signs up.

At midnight, Joaquin Rosa, the founder of Death-Cast, makes the first call to Valentino, who will die today. Shortly after, gunshots break out, and Orion knocks Valentino to the ground, saving his life. As a result, Orion has a heart attack, and Dalma and Valentino rush him to the hospital. There, Valentino decides he wants his heart donated to Orion, and because he is a universal donor, the doctor performs the necessary tests and agrees to get approval from the board.

Orion wants to help Valentino have a good End Day, and despite Dalma’s concerns that Orion could get hurt or killed by being around Valentino, they go back to Valentino’s apartment.

By 3:03 a.m., it has been discovered that there is at least one Decker who did not receive a call. Joaquin goes to fix the problem.

Valentino calls his sister and tells her that he received a call from Death-Cast and asks her to sign up. In Arizona, Scarlett’s pilot discovers he is a Decker, and her flight is grounded. Her texts also don’t go through because of a signal disruption.

Orion's parents didn't know he was gay before they died, and Valentino explains how his parents don’t support him. Orion decides to act on his feelings for Valentino, but when he looks over, the other boy is asleep.

Meanwhile, Valentino’s landlord, Frankie, plots to use one of his wife’s friends, Rolando, who works at Death-Cast to find a Decker to follow around and photograph. Rolando found his first shift calling for Death-Cast to be terrible, and he quits. However, he calls Frankie back and gives him Valentino’s name, hoping that Frankie will be killed whenever Valentino is because Frankie is abusive toward his wife. By the time Frankie gets to Valentino’s apartment, Valentino and Orion have already departed.

Valentino and Orion go to Valentino’s modeling agency for his first photoshoot, but he discovers that the photographer was killed in Times Square. They leave, and Valentino is upset that his End Day is already going poorly. Orion offers to do a photo shoot for him throughout New York. They get a camera from a local pawn shop and then go to the High Line to take photos. Eventually, they decide to go to Ground Zero. There, Orion gets closure and accepts that his parents are truly gone, and he wants to live the life they would’ve wanted for him. His feelings for Valentino grow.

Back on the subway, Orion shows Valentino a secret subway stop that can only be seen from outside the train.

At the same time, Rolando meets with one of the Deckers he called, who encourages him to confess his feelings for Frankie’s wife, Gloria, before it’s too late. Rolando leaves to call her, and they meet for lunch. He confesses his feelings for her, and she reciprocates, deciding to leave her husband.

At the Brooklyn Bridge, Orion and Valentino discuss marriage and having kids. Orion confesses that he has feelings for Valentino, and they kiss. They decide to go on a first date.

Joaquin returns to Death-Cast’s headquarters, thinking he has fixed the problem. However, in his absence, 11 more Deckers who never received calls died. He thinks that there will be one more.

On the subway back to Times Square, Orion performs a dance for Valentino since he has always wanted to see subway performers. Then, Orion plays music and makes Valentino walk down the subway car like it’s a runway, and Valentino feels more seen than he ever did in Arizona.

When they arrive, they take a photo, and then Dalma calls, revealing that Joaquin has announced that there are Deckers who may not have received a call. Orion begins to worry that it is his End Day, too. They go back to Orion’s home. Scarlett then calls and explains that all planes out of Arizona have been grounded.

At the Young household, Orion and Valentino are welcomed back, and they recount their day. Valentino decides to call his parents and tell them about Death-Cast. They listen to him but do not say anything, and Valentino emphasizes that he’s had a great day with his boyfriend, then hangs up.

Orion and Valentino sleep together, and then they go to Valentino’s apartment to prepare it for Scarlett and then to the hospital to prepare for the surgery. The doctors will try to save Valentino if he starts to die, but if he experiences brain death, they will transfer his heart to Orion.

At Valentino’s apartment building, the Young family waits for Orion and Valentino in the lobby. On their way up, they hear Frankie attacking Gloria. Valentino intervenes, but Frankie beats him and throws him down the stairs. Gloria’s son kills Frankie, who is the last Decker who didn’t receive a call.

Orion holds Valentino, who is breathing but not responding. His family rushes them to the hospital, where they perform the transplant. Dalma calls Scarlett to tell her the news and promises that she will be treated like family if she comes to live in New York.

Orion’s body successfully accepts the heart, and Scarlett arrives. They go through all of the pictures that he and Valentino took together. Death-Cast is seen as a success, and Orion is grateful for it, having seen the good it can serve in someone’s life. Scarlett also gives Orion a USB drive with a video from Valentino on it. Valentino tells him that he loves him and to enjoy his life and fall in love again. He will always be with Orion in “[their] heart” (549).