The story of a world where human souls can be given form as a companion, usually as a dog, to be fed and nurtured. In this story, the protagonist's companion is a cat. But her efforts to nurture and feed it with stories she creates don't seem to be going well, and neither is her job as a designer. Then, she meets a fellow worker who attracts her and has an interest in her. But it is only after meeting his big, mean cat does she realize what they feed on to nurture themselves at her expense.