In the magical Ancient Chinese world of astrology, a candyman with a knack for communicating with the zodiac animal spirits must lift a curse on his friend's teahouse by settling a dispute concerning the emperor's prized missing tea between two animal spirits.

Vignettes of a number of relationships, most of them troubled, are glimpsed through the descriptions of creatures in this bestiary of the imaginary.

A young Chinese-American woman cannot connect to the human world around her because she is not just a human woman; she’s a tiger.

Creatures of the animal kingdom bicker for their place on the throne in a post-apocalyptic world void of the human race, but soon realize they're slowing transforming into their old human masters. When mankind disappears from the face of the Earth, creatures of the animal kingdom gather to discuss who will replace them on the throne. But soon, the animals realize they're slowly adopting human traits.

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.

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

A woman embarks on a treacherous, snowy journey to help her friend.

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