Cinder is the story of John Griffin, a man who is terrorized by nightly apparitions but they are kept at bay from the glow of the fireplace. As the days go by John tries to find ways to ward off the spirits. However, his situation becomes more dire by each night as he runs out of logs for the fireplace.

Other stories in this collection follow a physicist trying to quantify sadness in the universe, a detective searching for a father and son in a city where the inhabitants wear masks, an unfortunate tennant who refuses to follow the apartment's curfew guidelines, and a secret agent who is about to embark on his final mission.