The Nun describes two incarnations of the character, Sia, short for Odyssia. The first takes place during the tenth century in Europe, where Sia lives as a nun in a remote convent before becoming a hermitess in the woods with a passion and talent for wood and stone carving. The second takes place during the twentieth century in New York and West Virginia, where Sia is a poet in the city before forming a commune with women she meets at one of her readings. As life events distract the other women, Sia finds herself once again alone and vulnerable.