The narration alternates between Eiji's stay at the house and a surrealistic tale written by Mrs. Sasaki's sister. The tale's main characters are three anthropomorphic animals: Goatwriter, a literate goat who collects and writes tales and like Mitchell has a stammer; Mrs. Comb, his servant and cook, a hen; and Pithecanthropus, his handyman, a primitive hominid.
The narrative jumps between Eiji's life at home and a dreamlike story written by Mrs. Sasaki's sister, centered around three animal characters: Goatwriter, a goat who writes stories and stutters like Mitchell; Mrs. Comb, his devoted servant and cook, a hen; and Pithecanthropus, his handyman, a primitive human-like being.