Set in an unnamed country sometime in the past, present or future, one woman tries desperately to hold her family together while civil war rages around her. Penelope and her 14 children live atop a landfill in a small, war-torn country. Her husband and eldest son have been drafted, each by opposing factions in the war, leaving Penelope and her remaining children desolate and nearly starving as they scavenge for scrap.When Hermes, the government scrap collector, makes unreasonable demands, Penelope fights back and is arrested, leading her on a journey to the heart of the tip.