Mercury Grayce and sister Venus Marie grow up in parallel worlds of magical realism and suburban Detroit in the 1960's and 70's. When they are teenagers, Venus has a mental breakdown, and Mercury begins an episodic relationship with her boyfriend Dana. Through a tableau exploring compulsive cycles of violence and sensual experience, Mercury Grayce, a lyric novel steeped in the myth of Eros and Psyche, explores coming of age from a distinctly female point of view.