Moving through New York City's fast-pace, life often seems a blur.

Yet, within this city, a group of people quietly seek solace by spending time with the dying.

        Lessons for the Living reveals a unique subculture of Hospice volunteers as they reflect on their experiences and philosophies of life and death. Among them, a teenager escapes from the drama of high school by sitting bed side with a man whispering wisdom to him only to bring his corpse to the morgue one day later. A hard-edged corporate lawyer searches for meaning and finds his experience with the dying worth more than his riches. A shaman passes through the heavy hospice door and communicates with people's nearly dead souls. A young woman cherishes seeing the very moment of passing and the song sung directly after. A terminally ill but vivacious woman talks about the dying people she's met with unexpected humor and grace - and is amused over her own, fast approaching, death. However small or great these moments spent with the dying are, these volunteer's lives have been change forever.