Timo, a photographer in Phoenix, Arizona, alerts a journalist named Lucy of a developing news story. Timo is attracted to Lucy but, beyond that, he's invested in her success. She constantly laments about how discouraging it is that all of the good stories seem to have been taken. When he hears of this new lead, he knows he has to give it to her. Timo arrives at the site first, a location on the northern border of the state terms the Central Arizona Project (CAP). There lies a massive canal, a valuable source of water in a world where drought and hurricanes plague many areas of the United States. The product of this drought is mass migrations, primarily of Texans, away from dry areas and towards water sources. Due to legislation that makes states become sovereign, and the ongoing climate crisis, Texans are heavily discriminated against. At CAP, Timo finds and begins photographing a body of a murdered Texan man. When Lucy arrives, she isn't sure that the body will lead to a good story—there's nothing new about Texan refugees dying on their way to states like Arizona. Timo convinces her that this man's body is different: he was killed as an offering to a woman, Santa Muerte, who people pray to. Although Timo tells Lucy this, it's unclear whether it's true or whether he's simply desperate to impress her. Dubious, she decides to interview some of the nearby people to see if she can learn anything new. Later, Timo and Lucy meet at a bar. Despite Timo's skepticism that Lucy would find anything valuable out, she reveals that she learned useful information from CAP's nearby inhabitants. She boasts of her strategy, explaining that if a person acts like they're fresh-footed, people want to open up to them. This comment angers Timo, who suddenly feels used. En route to a new location along CAP, Timo argues with Lucy, claiming that she used him. Lucy breaks off their partnership and walks away. Timo's anger quickly dissolves, and he goes to apologize to Lucy, who's in shock. She sees something and alerts Timo to its appearance: the canal at CAP is drying up. This will have major implications for the inhabitants of Arizona; they'll be thrust into a refugee crisis themselves. Timo and Lucy make up, forming a new, fruitful working partnership.