The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Yoder, Rachel. Nightbitch. Doubleday, 2021.

Rachel Yoder's novel Nightbitch is written in the past tense and from the third person point of view. At the start of the novel, the narrator refers to the main character simply as the mother. In Chapter 2, when the mother embraces her new animalistic identity, the narrator begins referring to her as Nightbitch. This guide refers to her strictly as Nightbitch for reasons of clarity.

Not long after Nightbitch gave birth to her son, she gave up her job at the art gallery and her career as an artist. Though she loved her son, she soon found her life as a stay-at-home mother intolerable. Her husband was almost constantly away on business, leaving Nightbitch to care for their son alone. When her husband was home, he was distracted, detached, and emotionally unaware.

One night, Nightbitch became convinced that she was turning into a dog. She had recently discovered a patch of fur on her neck. Her teeth felt pointier and her senses had sharpened. Not long later, a tail began to emerge at the base of her spine. Horrified and confused, she told her husband, who suggested she seek medical or psychiatric attention.

Nightbitch's internal restlessness heightened. She told herself she simply needed to spend more time out of the house. However, when she went to the library, she was immediately distressed when another mother, the Big Blonde, approached her. Nightbitch knew she was lonely and longed for another woman with whom she could commiserate, yet she was fundamentally disinterested in befriending the other mothers in town.

Not long later, a group of dogs appeared at Nightbitch's home. Instead of shooing them away, she and her son played with them. Nightbitch thought the golden retriever looked remarkably like the Big Blonde, and wondered if she too lived a second life as a dog.

Nightbitch finally gave in to her canine instincts and urges. She began spending nights running around the neighborhood and remorselessly killing wildlife. She ate in public with animal ferocity, unaware that others were watching. She even found that behaving like a dog was helping her to be a good mother. Her son loved playing dogs, and the activity allowed Nightbitch to express her raw emotions without fear or hesitation.

Then one day, Nightbitch violently murdered the family cat. Afterwards, she realized the horror of what she had done, swearing to reform. She decided to make friends with the other mothers in an effort to change. She soon began spending time with the Big Blonde, whose real name was Jen, and her friends. These interactions made Nightbitch realize that she needed other women in her life.

Nightbitch gradually learned that she did not have to separate her life from her art. She began working on a piece inspired by her life as Nightbitch, the mysterious dog. With the help of Jen as her PR agent, she brought the show to the public. No matter the show's reception, Nightbitch defended her intent. The project was meant to be an expression of the violence inherent to childbirth, to motherhood, and thus to womanhood.