When police officers arrive at his home to tell him that he's under "open arrest," unassuming bureaucrat Josef K. can't imagine what kind of crime he might have committed. He consults first his neighbor about the incident, then the courts, then a pompous law advocate, all to no avail. Ironically, Josef is able to learn of his sentence -- he is to be put to death -- but the nature of the charge against him remains elusive.
