"Ape and Essence" by Aldous Huxley is an intriguing novel which explores mankind's lack of humanity. In "Tallis," the narrator finds a script of "Ape and Essence" by the recently deceased William Tallis. "The Script" introduces the destruction of mankind by war and other factors in the future America. "Ape and Essence" offers ideas that are both entertaining and extremely frightening.

In "Tallis," the narrator and Bob Briggs discuss Bob's personal problems on the day of Gandhi's assassination in 1948. They cross across and read a script, "Ape and Essence" by William Tallis, and the next Sunday, they drive to Murcia, CA to meet the author only to learn that he has died. The narrator reprints Tallis' script without change or comment. In "The Script," a baboon girl sings, and two groups of baboons battle and kill one another. It is February 20, 2108 when the New Zealand Rediscovery Expedition set out on the Canterbury to rediscover America after the destruction caused by atomic bombs during World War 3. As the group heads toward the oil wells on shore, Dr. Poole lingers behind to examine plants and collect specimens. He is kidnapped and taken to the Chief at the Hollywood Cemetery where a crew of gravediggers rob corpses of their clothes.

The Chief retracts his mandate to have Dr. Poole buried alive when he learns that Dr. Poole can increase their food production. Dr. Poole joins the procession heading toward town, and on the way, he meets Loola, a young woman who laments that everything is terrible suffering. When he watches the Patriarch impale deformed babies as the mothers cry, Dr. Poole faints, reviving in a room with the Arch-Vicar who initiates a conversation about religion and history. He is disgusted as people begin celebrating Belial Day by chasing one another to engage in copulation, but he participates in the celebration when Loola approaches and embraces him. They then each turn to other partners and the Arch-Vicar interrupts Dr. Poole to inform him that his party from the Canterbury was injured while searching for him.

Dr. Poole and Loola rediscover monogamy and romantic love during the next two weeks until they return to the Unholy of Unholies to receive their annual assignments. They are separated with Loola returning to the cemetery and Dr. Poole being given a laboratory to experiment on ways to increase food production. His results do not please the impatient Chief. Dr. Poole visits Loola at the Hollywood Cemetery before visiting the Arch-Vicar who wants him to join the church. Dr. Poole secretly meets Loola and convinces her that what she is doing is right, but the Arch-Vicar is very angry when he finds the Dr. Poole is not in the laboratory and orders a search party. Dr. Poole and Loola head toward Bakersfield to locate the community of Hots, and when they stop to eat and rest, they find Tallis' tombstone where they read Shelley's poetry as they dine.