Big Cats opens with "Charlotte", in which a young girl with a broken pelvis spies on her voluptuous neighbor during a long, hot summer night, setting the tone of irrepressible curiosity and yearning that is evident throughout the collection. In "Get Away from Me, David", a bank manager tries to overcome his haunted past as he deals with the aftermath of a minor earthquake and the body of a customer who died in the lobby. "Big Cats" pits two teenage girls against each other in an escalating catfight at the zoo where they work, culminating in a blowout in front of the lion cage.

Cast of narrators:

"Charlotte" read by Lili Taylor
"Get Away from Me, David" read by Rainn Wilson
"Big Cats" read by Alia Shawkat
"Golden Pioneers" read by Virginia Madsen
"F--k You" read by Justine Bateman
"My Name" read by Garrett Dillahunt
"Good to Hear You" read by Amy Brenneman
"The Heights" read by Jenna Fischer
"By the Time You Get This" read by Helen Hunt
"Seashell" read by Patricia Arquette
"Africa" read by Peter Krause
"The White Dog" read by Holiday Reinhorn
"Last Seen" read by a full cast of narrators, with additional voices by Oscar Nunez, Adam Mondschein, Macleod Andrews, Kirby Heyborne, and Adenrele Ojo.