On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born. It tells of Vietnam, of the lasting impact of war, and of his family's struggle to forge a new future.

And it serves as a doorway into parts of Little Dog's life his mother has never known – episodes of bewilderment, fear and passion – all the while moving closer to an unforgettable revelation.