A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.

[last lines]
Paul Rivers: How many lives do we live? How many times do we die? They say we all lose 21 grams... at the exact moment of our death. Everyone. And how much fits into 21 grams? How much is lost? When do we lose 21 grams? How much goes with them? How much is gained? How much is gained? Twenty-one grams. The weight of a stack of five nickels. The weight of a hummingbird. A chocolate bar. How much did 21 grams weigh?
Paul Rivers: [quoting a poem] The earth turned to bring us closer. It turned on itself and in us, until it finally brought us together in this dream.
Paul Rivers: There are so many things that have to happen for two people to meet.
Cristina Peck: You know what I thought when mom died? I couldn't understand how you could talk to people again, how you could laugh... again. I couldn't understand how you could play with us. And no, no that's a lie, life does not just go on.
Jack Jordan: God knows when a single hair moves on your head.
[hitting his son upside the head to punish him for hitting his sister]
Jack Jordan: There's no hitting in this house.
Cristina Peck: Katie could have lived. She'd be alive right now but that bastard left her there. Laying in the street. He left the three of them like animals. He didn't care. She could be here with me. That son of a bitch is walking the streets, and I can't even go into their room. I wanna kill him. I'm gonna kill Jack Jordan. I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch.
Paul Rivers: Slow down, just slow down.
Cristina Peck: Slow down. Slow down. While I what, huh? While I what?
Paul Rivers: Take it easy.
Cristina Peck: Take it easy? My husband and my little girls are dead, and I'm supposed to take it fucking easy? I can't just go on with my life! I am paralyzed here! I am a fucking amputee! Do you see that? Who are you? You owe it to Michael. No, you've got his heart. You're in his house fucking his wife! And sitting in his chair! We have to kill him!
Paul Rivers: Not like this.
Cristina Peck: Then how? Tell me how! Katie died with red shoelaces on. She hated red shoelaces. And she kept asking me to get her some blue ones. And I never got her the blue ones. She was wearing those fucking red shoelaces when she was killed!
Marianne Jordan: Life has to go on Jack. With or without God.
Cristina: Nothing I can do is going to bring them back.
Paul Rivers: Did you know that eating alone could cause kidney damage? And that's BAD.
[after waking up in the emergency room]
Paul Rivers: So this is death's waiting room.
[from trailer]
Paul Rivers: They say we all lose 21 grams... who will be next?
Reverend John: Jesus didn't come to free us from pain. He came to give us the strength to bear it.
Jack Jordan: I'm gonna turn myself in.
Marianne Jordan: What? Why would you do that, Jack?
Jack Jordan: It's my duty.
Marianne Jordan: Your duty's to your family!
Jack Jordan: My duty's to God.
Dr. Rothberg: But if you don't come back to the hospital, you're condemning yourself to a terrible death. Your heart won't work anymore. You'll die, asphyxiated. It's an awful death, Paul. You can't imagine it. At least here we can help you to ...
Paul Rivers: You can help me die better. That's what you're saying. You can help me die BETTER. Well, I'm not gonna do that, okay? I'd rather die outside.
Paul Rivers: Just... disappear.
[holding a glass jar containing his surgically removed heart]
Paul Rivers: Ah. The culprit.
Paul Rivers: We've been a fraud for a long time, Mary.
Jack Jordan: If someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn your other to him also.
Paul Rivers: You shouldn't have done it.
Jack Jordan: Done what?
Paul Rivers: [shouting] You shouldn't have done it!
Paul Rivers: We have lived on a fraud a long time.
[first lines]
Michael: Check, please.
Cathy: Look Daddy, a volcano.
[Cathy blows bubbles into her soft drink]
Michael: It's very pretty. Drink up your volcano. All right. We're going. Mommy's waiting.
Cathy: Daddy, please. Just one more minute.
Paul Rivers: I can't keep going like this. The insemination, the child. It's like we're trying to put a Band-Aid on something that's just been bled dry.
Jack Jordan: I just ran over a man and two little girls.