The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Matsuda, Aoko. Where the Wild Ladies Are. Soft Skull Press, 2020.

Aoko Matsuda's Where the Wild Ladies Are is a collection of 17 short stories. While each of the narratives employs a distinct point of view and structure, the following summary uses a singular mode of description.

In "Smartening Up," after the first person narrator's boyfriend breaks up with her, she becomes obsessed with removing all of her body hair. She becomes so devoted to her new depilation routine, she is barely able to recognize her own unhappiness. When her aunt's ghost appears at her door one night, the narrator is jarred out of her fog. Her aunt insists her hair is her power, and she should let it grow. In the days following, the narrator confronts her buried distress, and embraces her body hair.

In "The Peony Lanterns," Shinzaburō has been in a depressive funk ever since losing his job. One evening, two ghosts pay him a visit. Shinzaburō is irritated by the women's presence, and the inexplicable events that accrue over the course of their visit. Eventually their words, and their seemingly magical lanterns, encourage Shinzaburō to embrace the illogical facets of life.

In "My Superpower," the narrator writes an essay for her column about life with eczema. While the condition has caused her much embarrassment over the years, she has recently realized its power.

In "Quite a Catch," one day while fishing, Shigemi-chan pulls in the body of a long-dead young woman, Hina-chan. That night, Hina-chan's ghost appears at Shigemi-chan's apartment. Shigemi-chan is immediately enamored with Hina-chan, even referring to her as her lover. Hina-chan changes her life.

In "The Jealous Type," an unnamed woman has a habit of obsessing over men, and throwing fits of jealous rage whenever they disappoint or betray her. Though she has learned these behaviors via television representations of women, she begins wondering if something is wrong with her. The narrator assures her otherwise, calling her jealousy a valuable talent.

In "Where the Wild Ladies Are," Shigeru has been living in a fog ever since his mother committed suicide. Though he has just graduated from university, he has little motivation to pursue a steady career. Instead, he takes a job at Mr. Tei's mysterious company. Shigeru's days pass predictably, until one afternoon he begins hearing a strange music arising from his mother's grave. Several cemetery visits later, Shigeru realizes the woman singing is his mother.

In "Loved One," because the unnamed narrator cannot smell, she does not see the point in lighting incense. Despite this declaration, she often lights her late father's old incense. Then one day, Mr. Tei appears from her altar, asking her which of her deceased loved ones she would like to see. The narrator requests a visit from her cat, suddenly filled with hope.

In "A Fox's Life," Kuzuha spends the majority of her life hiding her inherent intelligence and wit. Despite her efforts, a voice inside Kuzuha insists that she must escape. Then, while mountain climbing, Kuzuha turns into a fox, and she realizes she can no longer deny who she is.

In "What She Can Do," a single mother chastises herself for prioritizing her needs over her child's. When she left her husband, she did not realize how hard it would be to provide for her daughter. Noticing the woman's distress, a ghost decides to help. Every night while the woman works, the ghost watches over her child.

In "Enoki," an old hackberry grows tired of all the humans worshipping her. She hates that they see her burrs as breasts, and her resin as breast milk. When she realizes the women are praying to her to save their babies who they cannot feed, Enoki softens. Perhaps the humans' legends about her help them survive.

In "Silently Burning," the first person narrator has worked as a calligrapher in Oshichi temple for some time. While working, she observes all of the eager women praying to Oshichi for luck in love. Though she says she does not understand their passion, the priest's wife tells her her writing is fierce and passionate.

In "A New Recruit," Mr. Tei meets with a potential new hire for his company. During their conversation, Mr. Tei notices how similar the elderly ghost lady is to all of the women he has met. She does not recognize her talents. Throughout the story, Mr. Tei wonders about his life's work assembling talented humans and ghosts.

In "Team Sarashina," the unidentified narrator remarks at the impressive work ethic of Team Sarashina. The team's members are inarguably the best workers in the company. Though the other ghosts do a decent job, Team Sarashina surpasses them.

In "A Day Off," the unnamed narrator spends her day off lying in bed with her giant toad, Gum. She and Gum work together to protect women from dangerous men. Though she knows their work is important, it has disillusioned her. She doubts harmony between men and women is possible.

In "Having a Blast," the first and second wives of an unnamed man find relief and excitement in their afterlife. Though they see their husband there, they choose to ignore him. Meanwhile, the husband wonders why no one is talking to him.

In "The Missing One," Kikue lives and works in Himeji, the town where she grew up. Though she enjoys owning and running her own business, she sometimes wishes she were not so shy. Her unexpected encounter with a man named Yūta encourages her to embrace newness.

In "On High," Tomihime, the resident ghost of Himeji Castle, has grown tired of her post. No one even knows she is there. When Shigeru pays her a visit, she tries convincing him she should leave the castle. He insists that the castle, and her presence inside it, are important for the townspeople's survival. Tomihime realizes that the castle defines her.