Hoping to escape an abusive household, Lidia Yuknavitch enrolls in a Texas college on a swimming scholarship with an eye towards the Olympics. Her hopes of a swimming career are dashed when she loses her scholarship due to alcohol and drug use. She later enrolls at the University of Oregon and is one of a few students selected to work with Ken Kesey on his collaborative novelCaverns. During this time, Lidia continues to experiment with drugs and explore her bisexual identity through BDSM. As she advances in her career, she becomes secure in her identity, meets her husband, and starts a family.