Based on the book by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal, The Lifespan of a Fact centers on Jim, a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine. John D’Agata is a talented writer with a transcendent essay about the suicide of a teenage boy - an essay that could save the magazine from collapse. When Jim is assigned to fact-check D’Agata’s essay, the two come head to head in a comedic yet gripping battle over facts versus truth.