Isabel Kaplan's novel follows a young woman navigating her first job as an assistant at a television network, discovering that the entertainment industry's progressive facade conceals familiar patterns of sexism and exploitation. The unnamed narrator has achieved her dream of working in television, only to find herself fetching coffee, managing her boss's calendar, and enduring the casual cruelties of workplace hierarchy. Kaplan, who worked as a literary assistant before turning to fiction, renders the texture of entry-level indignity with dark comedy and sharp observation. The novel examines how ambition shapes accommodation, as the narrator compromises her values while telling herself she is paying dues for future success. It explores the particular pressures on women in male-dominated industries, where complaints invite retaliation and speaking up threatens careers. The protagonist's relationships, personal and professional, reflect her attempts to find authentic connection in an environment that rewards performance and punishes vulnerability. Kaplan captures how professional identity intertwines with personal identity, making workplace failures feel like existential threats. The novel's comedy arises from recognition: the absurdity of corporate culture, the gap between institutional rhetoric and reality, and the lengths people go to avoid acknowledging what they are sacrificing for success.