Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm share everything and do everything together, including writing down the tales of their community. Wilhelm suspects that Jacob may be gay, and wishes Jacob would feel comfortable revealing that part of himself. In regards to their storytelling endeavors, the brothers feel the responsibility to listen to the many versions of a story. They hope to best represent the truth of their community, even if it's through fiction. One day, a woman comes to orate a story they've heard time and time again, that of Hansel and Gretel. However, this time, the woman claims that the real reason the siblings were abandoned by their parents is that Hansel is a boy who loves boys, which the family disapproved of. She also claims that Gretel wanted to protect her brother. This strikes an emotional cord for both brothers, for different reasons. Jacob considers the stakes of writing this version of the tale; Wilhelm considers the stakes of not writing this version of the tale. Reluctantly, they end up writing the version of the tale we all know today. Wilhelm gets married to a woman and has two children, and Jacob lives with them as the uncle and head of the household. Generations later, a gay writer in the 1980s does not know he is a descendant of the Grimm brothers. He gives a copy of the Brothers Grimm tales to a lover. The lover dies of "a rare cancer" that takes the lives of gay men. However, before he dies, he reads the tales out loud to his niece, whose favorite tale is Hansel and Gretel. When the lover dies, his caretaker asks the lover's brother if he wants the body. He declines. The caretaker's daughter picks up the copy of the Brothers Grimm tales.