The film is based on Rachel Yoder's novel of the same name, Night Mother, which was shortlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award. It tells the story of a female artist who has just become a mother and becomes increasingly lonely and anxious while taking care of her children full-time. In her eyes, she has never been a mother, but now that she has become a mother, she must be the happy one. After many efforts and attempts, she finds that only by turning into a bitch can she achieve this wish.