Content Warning: The guide discusses suicide, rape, and sexual assault, which are present in the source text.

The protagonist of the story, Lilith, is a 26-year-old survivor of a nuclear war that devastated humanity. Lilith is chosen by her alien captors, the Oankali, to lead the first group of humans to return to Earth. Lilith is chosen because she is intelligent, tolerant, and rational. Lilith, who is at first repulsed by the appearance of the Oankali, learns to live among them and accept them as individuals. Lilith faces many challenges as she Awakens the other humans and feels caught between the two species, but she perseveres in order to help ensure the survival of humanity.

Lilith is viewed as somehow less than human by some of the Awakened humans, due to her enhanced abilities and her connection to the Oankali, particularly Nikanj. Lilith finds herself attracted to Joseph, who reciprocates, and the two become romantically attached. This connection is further deepened when Nikanj binds the three of them together into a sexual trio. Lilith’s devotion to Joseph causes her to leave the Oankali settlement with him, and she is devastated when he is killed. Lilith is despondent again as she is left behind when the human group returns to Earth, and she is shocked to learn that Nikanj has impregnated her with a human/Oankali child.