The show stars Peter Krause as Nathaniel Samuel ("Nate") Fisher, Jr., the son of a funeral director who, upon the death of his father, reluctantly becomes a partner in the family funeral business with his homosexual brother David, played by Michael C. Hall. The Fisher clan also includes mother Ruth (Frances Conroy) and sister Claire (Lauren Ambrose). Other regulars include mortician and family friend Federico Diaz (Freddy Rodriguez), Nate's on again off again girlfriend and eventual wife Brenda Chenowith (Rachel Griffiths), and David's boyfriend and eventual husband Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick).