The protagonist is a disabled woman who becomes a famous author over the course of the book. There is a scene about 2/3 of the way through where she is in a public place and men approach her because of her fame and because they notice her mobility aid. One asks her if she is married and then declares that she probably can not have children after she rejects him. The protagonist regularly dissociates during sex, and the reason for this is never stated directly. There is passing reference to an incident at her prom which may have been rape.