A simulacron, who serves as a representative of an alien species, speaks with the US Secretary of Science about their wish to purchase the planet Jupiter. While the Secretary worries about stirring up conflict between the simulacron and another species, the simulacron assures him that no harm will come to Earth, and the two eventually reach an agreement.

A maid, silently and in thought alone, contemplates her own position in a house full of opulent, decadent lives.

Years after facing abuse from the hermit overseeing a nature preserve, two children—now adults—enact their revenge.

A woman, living with her husband, is overcome with a strange, inexplicable ailment to her body.

A mother, her two children, and their stepfather come over to a friend’s for a dinner on Labor Day.

The ex-wife of a famous male writer considers a story he wrote about a neighbor they once had.