Inhabitants are not forbidden from visiting the outside world or enjoying its benefits, however a lack of interest is encouraged by Brother Porter.
No concrete proof is given for the existence of the immortality and Brother Porter demands that his word be accepted on faith, as he also implies that it only works for believers.
The story is narrated by a young woman who arrives with her boyfriend as a teenager, but chooses to remain when he leaves because of his dissatisfaction over the commune rules.
As the woman spends more time in the commune her mind begins to dull due to the repetition and growing disinterest in the outside world.
Frankie is found not guilty by reason of insanity and two days later, another commune member murders four people; the courts sentence him to life in prison.