A schoolteacher and amateur entomologist travels to a remote seaside desert in search of rare insects. After missing the last bus home, he is offered shelter by the villagers in a sand pit where a widow resides. The next morning, he discovers that the ladder he used to enter the pit has been removed, trapping him with the woman. The villagers explain that his new role is to help her remove the continually encroaching sand that threatens to bury the hut. As he grapples with his captivity, he learns of the woman's resigned acceptance of her fate and her daily struggle against the elements.

Despite his initial resistance and multiple escape attempts, he begins to forge a complex relationship with the woman, driven by a shared sense of survival and growing intimacy. His perception of freedom, existence, and purpose begins to shift as he contemplates his circumstances and the unyielding nature of the sand. Through the lens of their interaction and monotonous labor, deeper themes of human condition, isolation, and adaptation are explored.