After her lover Beatriz is executed for the possession of Unapproved Materials, Esther flees an arranged marriage and stows away in the wagon of a group of Librarians.

Esther falls in love with Cye, a non-binary Librarian who must pretend to be female in order to survive in the State.

The story takes place in a future United States in which the government has devolved and now resembles the Old West.

The futuristic setting is used to reflect the modern-day issues of homophobia, fascism, and post-truth society when taken to their logical extremes.

[3] Publishers Weekly gave the novella a starred review, praising the "gorgeous writing and authentic characters".