The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Murata, Sayaka. Life Ceremony. Grove Press, 2022.

Sayaka Murata's Life Ceremony is a collection of 12 short stories. Each of the stories in the collection is narrated from a distinct point of view, set in a distinct narrative world, and possesses its own form, structure, and style. The following summary employs a streamlined approach, and relies upon a linear structure and the present tense.

In "A First-Rate Material," the only thing that Nana and her fiancé Naoki disagree about is whether or not buying and using products made from human body parts is ethical. For many years, it has been customary to convert the bodies of deceased individuals into clothing and furniture. Nana sees the practice as beautiful and sacred. Naoki finds it disgusting and disrespectful. When Naoki's mother gifts the couple a veil made from Naoki's father's skin, Naoki's viewpoint begins to change.

In "A Magnificent Spread," the narrator panics when her sister Kumi says she is going to cook the foods from her magical homeland Dundilas for her fiancé Keiichi and his parents. When his parents see Kumi's spread, they regard it with disgust. The narrator then offers her Happy Future Foods and the parents start eating the stewed bugs they brought instead. Keiichi announces that he designed the lunch so that they could see how food is a manifestation of one's experiences and cultural identity.

In "A Summer Night's Kiss," best friends Kikue and Yoshiko are complete opposites. While Kikue loves sex, Yoshiko is a virgin. One night, Kikue gives Yoshiko a dumpling that makes her feel like she is kissing a boy.

In "Two's Family," when Kikue and Yoshiko turn 30, because neither of them is married, they decide to move in together. They both get artificial insemination and give birth to daughters. They raise their daughters as sisters. When they are in their seventies, Kikue is diagnosed with cancer. While visiting her in the hospital, Yoshiko wonders how their lives would have elapsed if they had never lived together.

In "The Time of the Large Star," a little girl moves to a strange country with her father. In this new land, the people never sleep. When the little girl learns that once living in this land she will never be able to sleep again no matter where she goes, she feels sorrowful.

In "Poochie," Mizuho is delighted when her friend Yuki asks for her help with her pet named Poochie. She is shocked however when she discovers that Poochie is a sad, middle-aged man. Yuki explains that she rescued the man from Tokyo's business district.

In "Life Ceremony," when Maho was a little girl, eating human flesh was forbidden. Roughly 30 years later, the practice has become commonplace. After someone dies, the community hosts a life ceremony. During the ceremony, the guests eat the meat of the deceased and then copulate to make new life out of death. Maho is repelled by the ritual, seeing it as a sign that morality does not exist. When her friend Yamamoto dies, her regard for the ritual begins to change.

In "Body Magic," Ruri is drawn to her classmate Shiho. Unlike their classmates, Shiho has had a wealth of sexual experience but does not boast about it. Rather, Shiho sees sex and sexuality as sacred. She encourages Ruri to explore her own sexuality and desire.

In "Lover on the Breeze," a curtain named Puff is initially content to live on the rod above her owner Naoko's window. When she falls in love with Naoko's boyfriend Yukio, she realizes how much she longs to be free.

In "Puzzle," Sanae is envious of everyone around her. Unlike her friends and coworkers, Sanae feels pale, fragile, and lifeless. No matter how hard she tries to feel more alive, Sanae cannot dispel her numbness. When she becomes enamored with her colleague's ex, her regard for herself and others begins to evolve.

In "Eating the City," when Rina smells the humid Tokyo air, she begins remembering her childhood vacations to the Nagano mountains. Over time, these memories become increasingly plentiful and vivid. She realizes that she once had a connection with the natural world, which she has been lacking in her urban life. She starts taking walks and scavenging food in the city, forming a new relationship with her environs, her body, and others.

In "Hatchling," Haruka procrastinates planning for her wedding, because she does not know how she will act at the ceremony. Throughout her life, Haruka has designed a series of characters for herself. Each character helps her navigate the social spheres she occupies. When she tries telling her fiancé about the characters, he becomes angry and disgusted. Haruka mollifies him by presenting him with a new character that erases her true self.