The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Peynado, Brenda. The Rock Eaters. Penguin Random House LLC, 2021.

Brenda Peynado's The Rock Eaters is a collection of 16 short stories. Each story employs a distinct tense, point of view, structure, and style. The following summary uses the present tense, and a linear mode of explanation.

In "Thoughts and Prayers," after the narrator's best friend’s older sister is killed in a school shooting, the narrator feels confused and despairing. She wants to help and comfort her friend, but does not know how. When the narrator's mother tells her she will be joining a march with the Mothers for the Sanctity of the World, the narrator feels relieved. Finally she can help. The narrator's involvement with the group ultimately complicates her feelings and beliefs.

In "The Stones of Sorrow Lake," the narrator's boyfriend Jackson is determined to move home after college. The narrator insists on moving with him. She knows Jackson is from a strange place. In his town, the residents grow stones from their bodies when they first experience loss. The stones can only dislodge in their own time. However, even after the stones fall out, they continue calling to the townspeople, drawing them forever back to the town. Within her first hours in town, the narrator discovers unexpected truths about Jackson and herself.

In "The Whitest Girl," the girls of Yama Catholic Girls High School are shocked by the new girl, Terry Pruitt's whiteness. The girls become obsessed and fascinated with Terry. Instead of trying to be her friend, they exclude and manipulate her. They later realize that Terry is a symbol of what they both fear and desire.

In "Yaiza," the narrator is threatened when the new girl Yaiza plays tennis better than her. She does not want to lose her place as the favorite on the team. Though Yaiza is kind to the narrator, the narrator is determined to beat her even at her generosity. She later regrets her cruelty.

In "The Drownings," the townspeople of a small Florida town are no strangers to drowning. Everyone in the town knows someone who has died in the water. Despite this, they are all obsessed with swimming. When a new girl moves into town and does not know how to swim, they try coaxing her into the water. She does not start swimming until after losing friends to drowning.

In "The Great Escape," the narrator's aunt, Chani, keeps adding locks, cages, and bars to her apartment windows and door. The narrator must talk to her through these barricades. Years later, when Chani fails to answer the narrator’s call, she has a locksmith open the apartment. Nothing is inside. Even Chani is gone. The narrator lies on the floor and feels alive for the first time.

In "The Kite Maker," the narrator tries atoning for her violence against aliens by selling them handmade kites. She wishes she could make up for her past mistakes, but does not know how. Her relationships with her sons, and one particular alien push her towards change and revelation.

In "What We Lost," the citizens of a nation have begun losing their body parts. They blame their leader, eventually realizing that if they want to make a change, they must react against the system that threatens their human rights.

In "The Rock Eaters," a group of flying adults tries to keep their children close. Their children's bizarre acts of defiance confuse the parents. They must learn to reconcile their love for their children with their need to let them go.

In "True Love Game," Rosario is in love with her best friend's brother. Meanwhile the ghost of a drowned boy pines after Rosario. Neither character is able to communicate effectively with their love interest. Despite the unrequited nature of their loves, both Rosario and the ghost try protecting and helping their longed-after lovers.

In "The Touches," Salipa has only been touched four times in her life. The first two touches happened when she was too little to remember. In the narrative present, she is living in a sterile cubicle. She can only communicate with other people via avatars. Finally she realizes that physical intimacy is necessary for survival.

In "The Man I Could Be," the narrator's father gives him his jacket from Korea. The narrator does not want to wear it until he has earned it. He buries the jacket away. Throughout his life, the narrator is distracted by the version of himself he wants to become but cannot attain.

In "Catarina," the narrator moves in with the man she loves after his wife experiences a terrible accident. Because of her feelings for the man, the narrator helps him care for his ailing wife. Throughout the story, the narrator feels trapped between love and hate, unsure how to free herself and live more fully.

In "The Dreamers," a young girl fights to stay awake. She lives in a world where sleeping is regarded as a sin. When her best friends, Karina and Joaquin, elect to fall asleep, the narrator feels abandoned and alone. She must reconcile her love for her friends with her need to let them go.

In "We Work in Miraculous Cages," the narrator struggles under the weight of debt and loans. She works at a salon and a veterinary hospital for minimum-wage, unable to find a job in her field. Her socioeconomic circumstances compromise her relationships, and confuse her sense of self. By the end of the story, she realizes that with the help of others even the most helpless can survive.

In "The Radioactives," four friends start working for the government. They drive a drug-detector vehicle, scanning trucks crossing the border for illegal stowage. They soon discover that the vehicle's X-ray apparatus is broken, and has been leaking radiation into the truck. Their exposure deforms their bodies and minds. Instead of seeing these deformations as weaknesses, they claim them as their strength.