At thirty-eight, Trudy Herring is a dreamer, a sculptor of whimsical clay figures, and a permanent temporary worker at the San Antonio Museum of Folk Art. But all that changes when she agrees to incubate a child for Hillary Goettler (her boss) and Hillary's husband. Trudy moves into their mansion and is instantly thrust into a luxurious world she's never known before. While Hillary opines that parenthood is simply a 'time-management problem,' Trudy is forced to consume noxiously healthy meals in a home where the decor changes faster than a Neiman Marcus window display. As her body warms to the other life inside, Trudy begins to long for her old flame, Sinclair Coker, 'a freelance mystic with a lot of enthusiasm for the carnal.' The quest to satisfy her cravings leads Trudy to discover that it takes a lot more than war stories about childbirth and potty training for a woman to qualify for true membership in 'the mommy club.'