WaLiLa is an immortal being from the stars, who possesses a message-center and a vision-center, which allows her to complete the mission she has been sent on. Her cocoon peels and she begins slipping through a tunnel down to earth. She arrives in a circle of musicians and is invited by Elisa, one of the musicians, as a guest. Elisa knows how to communicate through bodyspeak, WaLiLa's language, and she discovers where she is. This woman will be the host of her mission.

When they arrive, Elisa's home has been ravished by fire. Elisa is anguished, but relieved to see that her prayer room is completely preserved. WaLiLa realizes she is running out of fuel and stocks up on the flower petals in the prayer room.

Elisa leaves to tend to a sick mother-in-law, and tells her sons Pedro and Modesto to watch over WaLiLa. She asks them to recount their island's painful history. Pedro smokes, and WaLiLa must put a petal to her mouth to prevent it from reaching her, as smoke is a dangerous toxin for her people. She wishes to communicate with them through her vision-center so badly that her arm involuntarily knocks spices off a shelf, and this perturbs them. She looks into Modesto's mind, sees his pain and leaves him crying, causing Pedro to yell at her. She has lost his trust, and he becomes defensive.

As WaLiLa sleeps, her vision-center shows Pedro planning an escape from the island with other men. Her message-center alerts her to the presence of smoke, distorting her senses. She must collect Pedro's nectar before he leaves, before her portal closes, and before smoke overcomes her. If the nectar is poisoned, she reasons, she will die regardless.

When Pedro goes to sleep, WaLiLa attempts to collect his nectar but is interrupted by Modesto. She is catapulted into a coma, and wakes crying out,"Will they come for me?" Elisa stands in the doorway and says they will not. She divulges that she, too, was a nectar collector, but she died on earth and now lives a mortal life. Elisa informs WaLiLa, despite her protests, that she is bound to the same fate, as she has lost her connection to her people and now has a new life ahead.