Bo is a young girl, living in rural New Mexico, who yearns to feel a connection to the world she perceives as beginning outside the lines of her tiny town. Her father is depressed; her mother is the archetype of an earth mother.
Bo meanwhile writes to various snack-cake manufacturers describing the ailments their products have given her and requesting replacements. But the family grows its own food and has a stockpile of firewood that will last years. That sets the stage for the visit from the IRS, sent to see why the family hasn't filed any income taxes.