A Flock of Crows begins with the death of Andrew Hawkins, who has suddenly lost faith in any meaning or value to his life. The novel explores the concepts of responsibility and purpose by offering brief moments in the lives of a sequence of people. The novels chain of events begins with Andrew Hawkins death, and becomes a journey that introduces the reader to a chain of characters who struggle to discover their answer to Andrew Hawkins belief that his life, and any life, has no meaning or purpose.