When a giant sinkhole hits a small town in Florida, Paul, the prodigal son, goes missing. His sister Naomi is convinced that he's fallen into the hole, but his mother believes that he's used the hole to fake his own death, thereby shirking his obligations to the family owned sushi restaurant. When Edgar, a big city scientist is sent to study the hole in an effort to combat climate change, Naomi's stupor is shaken by his new perspective. Her ex-husband, Henry, also the mayor, is frustrated by Edgar's prolonged research and lobbies for the hole to be filled so that commerce can once again be revived. The play moves back and forth between a year after the sinkhole has occurred, a time right before the sinkhole hits, and a dream-like surreality where characters explore the hole itself.