As a teenage girl stumbles upon a mysterious portal leading her to a utopian, magical world, her storyline converges with that of the author—a middle-aged, married mother of two who has come out as asexual to her husband—leading both to a reckoning with their unfulfilling romantic relationships and deepest desires.

In the distant future, a war between humans and aliens occurs where only women may serve in the army. Concerned and suspicious about the lies she's being told, a mother yearns for her daughter to return.

When an ambiguous small US town must welcome recently-landed aliens into the mix, the townspeople experience a range of emotions: sexual attraction, curiosity, disgust, sympathy, ambivalence.