In a beautifully animated story with the thinnest of plot lines, Gwen is a young orphan adopted by a nomadic tribe whose desert landscape is occasionally showered with artifacts like toasters and coffee pots from the mysterious beings who live in the City of the Dead. Unfortunately, one of the nomadic children was kidnapped by these feared beings, and Gwen, along with a wise and ancient woman, leave for the City to rescue the child. Once they cross the enclosing walls, they discover a maze of suburban dwellings where people perform religious rites based on a sacred book -- a mail-order catalog. The brave duo continue on, determined to save the nomadic child from these strange people.