The boss at Sneaky VFX wants compositor Sonnika to write code for a while. But how long can she set aside her dream when her biological clock is ticking… and something evil in the building is making noises of its own.

Everything’s peachy at Sneaky VFX, where Sonnika Singh works as a compositor. When a batch of bad footage threatens to take all night, Sonnika wonders if a python script — a piece of code — would help. She looks for someone to help her, but no one’s available, so she writes the code herself.

Big mistake.

In the morning, her boss, Lily, approaches her to pitch in and help the overtaxed technology department a while. Sonnika insists she wants to stay an FX artist. Lily pointedly shows a picture of her baby to Sonnika, reminding her that time is running out to start a family, and “It’s an awfully simple person who has only one dream.”

Tempted by the promise of job stability (and health insurance), she takes the offer home to her husband, Tesh. He has his own concerns: they moved from San Diego to Los Angeles to pursue her art, and if her dream is on the back burner, why are they here?

Scared and uncertain, Sonnika prays. As if on command, her dog Tucker appears… carrying the first O’Reilly book: “Learning the vi Editor.”

Sonnika traces “Duffy”, the name on the book, to a man living in her apartment building. A former programmer, Duffy convinces her it’s a good thing to spend a little while as a programmer, saying, “You can never have too many tools.”

Sonnika takes the job.

She works with good-natured fellow programmer Nilo and not-so-good-natured systems administrator Caleb. There are hints that this is not an ordinary technology department, and Sonnika may have to face things scarier than PIL installation…