This final volume of Orson Scott Card's five-volume anthology of short works features the "hidden stories", including his first published piece, some tales about Mormon family life, and other stylistic departures, and several stories that were later developed into acclaimed novels, such as Ender's Game, Songmaster, Invasive Procedures, and The Tales of Alvin Maker series.

Watch Card craft a paranoid thriller, a spoof of "serious" contemporary literature, an epic narrative poem, and much more.

Stories include: "Ender's Game"; "Mikal's Songbird"; "Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow"; "Malpractice"; "Follower"; "Hitching"; "Damn Fine Novel"; "Billy's Box"; "The Best Family Home Evening Ever"; "Bicicleta"; "I Think Mom and Dad Are Going Crazy", "Jerry"; and "Gert Fram".

The author includes background commentaries for each story in his afterwords.