Thoughts but no ideas

I love the trope of a character knowing there's a ticking clock on them (a curse, an illness, an axe of some sort over their head) and instead of trying to fix it and change their own fate, they accept it as inevitable and then do everything they can to ensure the people around them are protected and free of the existential threats targeting them, but only if the audience is aware of it the entire time.

Related, I also like the Flight A Light Into The Future trope, but generally only if it's a part of the plot rather than a part of the backstory.