The opera is planned as a 90 minute, one-act opera for six singers (baritone, soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) and one dancer covering the action of the novel, which is told from the perspective of George, an English professor in deep mourning for his partner Jim, who died unexpectedly in an accident. The story is set in 1960s southern California amid the increasingly hostile arms race. Meanwhile, George and others must negotiate the suspicion leveled at minority communities in Los Angeles and nationwide.