How's this for an exciting premise? Two men sit down and have a conversation.

Okay, yeah, we feel you: Not super intriguing. We sit down and have conversations all the time, and while we find ourselves fascinating, we're willing to bet that the majority of our chats have absolutely no business being turned into plays. The Sunset Limited, however, is different, Shmoopers.

Published by Cormac McCarthy in 2006, The Sunset Limited takes a strikingly simple premise—a conversation between two men—and uses it to pack a philosophical punch so large we're amazed any theater can contain it. As the play opens, White (the characters are referred to by their race) has just been saved from certain death by Black, and the two men have returned to Black's apartment. The only trouble is that White most definitely is not grateful for his second chance.

What ensues is a conversation of epic proportions within Black's meager home—we're talking Jesus, collective humanity, the value of culture, and even the Holocaust—as these two men duke it out over whether or not there's a purpose to life. Given White's suicide attempt that launches their entire interaction, the stakes are super high: If Black can't convince White that life matters, then he'll have to send him back out into the world with his death drive intact.

So is The Sunset Limited simple? Yes, if you're counting numbers of characters and costume changes, and considering the elaborateness of the set. The answer is a resounding no, however, if you consider the subject at hand, which is none other than the meaning of life.

Question: What is the meaning of life?

What's that? You don't know? Well, you should definitely sink your teeth into this play, then, because The Sunset Limited is a (pretty polite) smack down between two dudes with differing views on this subject. And yes, they're both absolutely positive they're correct in their understanding.

Oh, sorry—you say you do know what the meaning of life is? First off, congratulations. We bet you sleep well at night with this knowledge. That said, it's good to hold your beliefs under a microscope from time to time, to re-examine them and see how they hold up. This play is guaranteed to help you do that. And who knows? Maybe you'll finish reading with your beliefs completely intact, but maybe when you turn the last page you'll find yourself wondering what it all means all over again. Either way, you'll be confident in your beliefs… or lack thereof, as the case may be.