Tired of being tasked with menial jobs due to being the only woman in her department, Shibata finds herself telling a colleague she can no longer complete these tasks because she is pregnant. Despite this not being a deliberate plan, the way society’s treatment of her changes causes her to commit to the lie. For the following nine months we accompany Shibata in her quiet rebellion as she finds ways to make this pregnancy believable. 
 
This witty, highly sarcastic and, at times, dark novel criticises the social expectations of women as well as how pregnancy alters the perception of expectant people. At the same time, it observes the ways in which this fake journey towards “motherhood” allows Shibata to take better care of herself, find a community and be valued by the people around her.