In their earliest childhood, four siblings are free to frolic and explore any aspect of nature on their parents’ expansive land. Since their parents don’t care what they do, the children have free-spirited fun, running out naked in storms, riding ponies, catching fish, and doing anything else they desire. They find a frozen snapping turtle in ice outside, which their father makes soup with, and even when they get stung by ants, bees, or poisonous plants, they simply take care of themselves.  The childrens’ parents are overjoyed by their children and intend to raise them differently; in addition to letting them do whatever they want, their parents tell them about everything, including where all their organs are and what the state of their fecal matter means. Their parents take them to protests, concerts, and parties where people skinny-dip, but the kids do not want to join and simply talk among themselves about the adults’ bodies.  One day, a woman begins to frequent their home; she cooks with their mother and goes on trips alone with their father. Another man also comes by to spend nights with their mother, and the children realize that their parents are no longer speaking. They go on trips with their father where he tells them details about his life, including the women he has been with, and he exclaims that he would rather talk to his children than anyone else because they are so smart. Meanwhile, the children go to school, fear that they will never learn how to read and worry because they know nothing about God. They fear for their parents as well, because they also seem to know nothing about God. Eventually, they learn how to read and begin to unlearn their parents’ free-spiritedness, following rules and becoming obedient—a new structure they enjoy. However, the children are ashamed that they know too much about the world and don’t participate in conversations about bodies and sex because they fear everyone will be horrified. They slowly become more worrisome and have periods of their lives where they cannot speak at all.  Fortunately, the children discover a love for reading and begin to play games with other kids and participate in music lessons and theater. What they don’t understand, however, is why their father suddenly seems so lonely, sneaking into the house to sleep in their mother’s bed when she’s not there, and why he needs money all the time. They go on trips with their father to make him feel better, but he asks them to insult him just like their mother used to. Even so, he is so proud of them and wants them to meet all of his friends. Their mother, on the other hand, no longer knows what to do with her life, and her only hope is her children.