As a tea monk, Sibling Dex's job is to listen to the troubles of others and provide them with a moment of respite. But they can't help but feel as though something is wrong. This feeling drives them into the wilderness in search of the sounds of crickets, and alone in the woods is where they meet the robot Mosscap. Mosscap is the first robot to reach out to human in the centuries since sentience awoke in robots and they left for the wild to observe nature. Mosscap's purpose? To find what humans need.

This is a delightful novella. The world feels deep with lore to explore but also really pleasant (when the robots became sentient and decided that they didn't want to work anymore, the humans let them go). The two main characters are very distinct but both extremely likeable (Mosscap is a joy and a treasure). But they dig down into some deep topics (like pronouns, existence, life, and purpose), and the result is a book that makes you feel happy but also makes you think.