In the near future, mankind has grown increasingly reliant on technology and climate change threatens the interconnectivity of modern life.
Biologist Francine Burk develops a theory that human women cheat on their partners because the offspring of extramarital affairs have evolutionary advantages.
After a dust storm causes a power outage, Burk and her partner must work together to protect themselves and their research subjects.
[4][5] Ian Mond, writing for Locus, praised Schulman's handling of topics related to chronic pain, intimacy and the dangers of overreliance on technology.
[9][8] Sean Guynes-Vishniac of World Literature Today considered the novel's science fiction elements to be derivative, and described the protagonist's theory as "bullshit science that universalizes the experience of a subset of (American) women to the entire species and cuts across cultural and historical differences.