The story unfolds over three parts. In the first part, “The Year of Damp Feet,” Kant, a 31-year-old Thai American man, comes out as gay to his family and friends in a mass email. Though he is initially nervous that they will reject him, they express unanimous support. Kant is underwhelmed since their support doesn’t make it feel like anything in his life has really changed. Instead of dating, he masturbates more frequently.

Kant has a sexual preference for sadism and degradation. This is the result of having been bullied and ignored by his peers growing up. He desires to recreate the abjection he experienced on the bodies of other men, so that he can affirm that he deserves his pain. Since he cannot willingly inflict pain on other people, however, he does not act on his sexual desires.

Kant uses online dating apps but is too picky and ashamed to connect with anyone. A Mediterranean man who claims to be a novice to sexual submission messages him. Kant agrees to meet, but when he goes to the man’s house, the man strips naked and asks to be spanked. Kant tries to do what the man wants, but the man keeps giving him feedback. Their encounter abruptly ends when Kant absentmindedly slaps the man’s genitals, scaring him away. 

Kant considers alternatives, from hiring a sex worker to renting a sex doll. He does the latter, but it doesn’t help because the sex doll doesn’t feel shame. He wonders if he is attracted only to his fantasies instead of real people.

In Part Two, “Communication Fixes Everything,” Kant decides to try working out at a gym. On his first day, he is preparing to do a weighted squat when another man offers to help. Kant declines and nervously retreats to the bathroom. The man follows, introduces himself as Julian, and asks for a date. They go out and find common ground. Both have been bullied, but Julian makes light of Kant’s experience. Kant laughs and does not tell Julian that he attempted suicide two years earlier.

Julian is Kant’s first sex partner. Kant is nervous about the awkwardness between their bodies. Before Kant can climax, Julian asks to stop because of his hemorrhoids. Kant feels both guilty and aroused by the harm he has caused Julian. They soon become boyfriends. Whenever Kant visits Julian’s apartment, he makes the extra effort to do Julian’s housework. Kant believes that by overperforming, he can entitle himself to ask for degrading sex from Julian. He understands that this might not give Julian what he wants from a relationship, however, so he considers breaking up with him.

Julian often tries to have sex with Kant, but Kant stops him because he is too afraid to tell Julian what he wants. Julian introduces Kant to his friends, including his ex-boyfriend Noah; they find Kant uninteresting. Kant cannot help projecting his low self-esteem onto them, so Julian calls Noah unintelligent and tries to convince Kant that he is as attractive as Noah. 

Worried that his sexual kinks will scare Julian away, Kant overeats to induce acid reflux and avoid sex. Tired of Kant’s excuses, Julian texts Noah about their lack of sex. Kant discovers the texts and throws Julian’s phone at the wall.

After carefully acknowledging Kant’s sexual repression, Julian invites him to communicate what he would like to do during sex, but Kant still holds back his actual desires. It occurs to Kant that Julian thinks he wants to be embarrassed during sex, which suggests detachment and humor. What Kant really wants is to feel ashamed, which is internalized and unforgiveable. Julian doesn’t know what it is to be ashamed because he comes from a background that has affirmed his power.

When Julian asks for instructions while they have sex, Kant asks him to perform “ahegao,” a facial expression of disbelief and ecstasy taken from anime. Julian tries his best, but when Kant starts thrusting into Julian’s mouth, Julian taps on him to slow down, which discourages Kant. Julian instead asks Kant to narrate what he wants as Julian performs oral sex on him. Kant describes wanting to put Julian in a jar and drown him in his semen. Kant struggles to feel any pleasure, especially after he convinces himself that Julian thinks his penis is small. Ashamed, Kant starts putting his clothes back on. Julian tries to get him to stay by offering him MDMA, but Kant doesn’t want any. He leaves and they never see each other again.

Part Three, “Add Cum,” takes place two months later. Kant has resolved to never have a relationship again and accept that masturbation is his only sexual outlet. He discovers the custom-order porn video industry. Finding muscled content creator Cody Heat, Kant fills out the order form, writing out a detailed description of a 20-minute video. When Kant’s scenario maxes out the character limit on the order form, he switches to email.

In the scenario, Cody plays the role of a closeted gay man who is afraid of coming out. While Cody is working out at the gym, Kant enters. The sight of Kant gives Cody an erection large enough to tear through his pants. As gym goers shame Cody for his erection, Kant comments on how heavy the weight looks, echoing a comment Julian made the first time they met. Kant lifts the barbell off of Cody and takes pictures of their penises using Cody’s phone. He posts the photos on all of Cody’s social media accounts to humiliate him. Cody follows Kant home, a large castle. In the dungeon, they engage in anal sex. Cody’s hemorrhoids are so painful that Cody performs an ahegao expression. Afterwards, Kant makes Cody perform oral sex on him. Kant’s penis continuously grows during oral sex; when Cody finishes, Kant’s penis is long enough to travel through Cody’s whole body. Then, Kant subjects Cody to his enormous orgasm. The scenario ends with Cody as an enslaved person who performs regular oral sex on Kant, now the world’s most important man. Cody is kept in a jar of Kant’s semen, which Cody depends on to survive. Every moment of Cody’s life features being sexually humiliated by Kant. Cody resigns himself to his fate and expresses gratitude to Kant for exposing him as a miserable creature. The world applauds as Cody performs one more ahegao and a peace sign.

Kant pays over $8,000 to commission the custom video—half of Kant’s life savings. Kant could buy one video every year if he gets a raise at work. Instead of typing out Cody’s email address, Kant accidentally types out the name of the mailing list he’d created to come out to his family and friends and sends them the video description. Going to bed, he hopes that the custom video will positively impact his life and thinks about Julian.