In a future where AIs control nearly all aspects of space travel, humans play a minimal role. Waymire Ping-Jackson, a young, illiterate man on a mining ship bound for the asteroid belt, finds himself enduring a dull nine-month journey with only a few menial tasks left to him. While exploring the ship, Waymire stumbles upon a hidden room containing a highly advanced pleasurebot, a luxury typically reserved for the ultra-rich. The lifelike android declares him her master, forcing Waymire to reflect on what it means to connect in an increasingly impersonal world where genuine human relationships are fading away because they've been replaced by technology.