When the Wolf Comes Home

Against his father’s rules, a young boy sneaks out of the house and finds an illustrated book of fairy tales, which stokes his imagination. While reading the book, the boy sees a terrifying picture of a wolf. The boy’s father catches him with the book and becomes so upset that he begins to transform into a wolf-like monster. He tears through the house, searching for the boy.

While hiding in the pantry, the boy decides to flee from home. Though he tries to sneak out, he accidentally alerts his father to his whereabouts when he steps on a framed picture of his parents. The boy tries to hide, but his father catches him. The boy remembers an illustration of a hero wielding a weapon and then finds himself suddenly wielding the same weapon. He uses it to free himself from his wolf-father’s grasp. The boy escapes from home.

At a Los Angeles, California, diner called Poppy’s, two waitresses working the graveyard shift, 31-year-old Jessa Rae “Jess” Bailey and Margie, are talking about Jess’s love life. Margie encourages Jess to date again, but Jess is too dismissive of her prospects in the improvisational comedy scene to take anyone seriously.