The story begins with Avis as narrator. Avis is a Las Vegas housewife who has been married for 29 years but has hit a rough patch with her distant husband, Jim. We learn that she had a tough upbringing in Vegas with her mother, Sharlene, who was unstable and irresponsible. Avis wants to rekindle her passion and save her dwindling marriage. She gets out of bed, opens her underwear drawer, and is shocked to find a handgun there. She remembers when Jim gave her the gun for self-defense, back when Avis had just given birth to their daughter, Emily. Though caught off guard by the pistol, she undresses to signal her intimate intentions with Jim. He then declares he is seeing another woman, Darcy—a much younger coworker. Avis is stunned at his unexpected confession.

Memories about her family begin to rush in. She thinks about her daughter, Emily, her son, Nate, and her mother, Sharlene, who warned Avis never to trust a man. Her mind unravels with scattered thoughts, beginning with how she has become afraid of her own son since his return from the war in Iraq. She then flashes back to when Sharlene asked her to babysit Rodney, Avis’s younger brother, whom she raised.