According to her husband, Young-Hye is average in every way. She is reasonably attractive and reliable, and she fulfills her marital duties without complaint. However, after having a disturbing dream, she suddenly decides to stop eating meat, which irritates her family and sets off a chain of unsettling events.

In her best-selling novel, South Korean Nobel laureate Han Kang addresses issues of (self)control, patriarchy, and female resistance.