The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Bender, Aimee. The Butterfly Lampshade. Penguin Random House, LLC, 2020.

Aimee Bender's The Butterfly Lampshade is divided into five overarching parts, and moves frequently between past and present. The narrative consists of a series of patchwork memories from Francie's childhood and her present life, and follows a fragmented pattern. The following summary arranges the events of Francie's life on a linear plot line.

When Francie is eight years old, her mother, Elaine suffers a psychotic break. Worried, Francie's Uncle Stan arranges a train ride to California so Francie can have a new home with his family. While Francie waits for her train, she stays with her babysitter, Shrina. While at Shrina's Francie falls in love with her butterfly lampshade. The next day, she sees a butterfly fall from the pattern into her water, and swallows it.

On her ride to Los Angeles, Francie considers the bug inside her, wondering if it is a sign of something dark. The next day on the train, she is terrified to find that a beetle drawing on a paper in her backpack has fallen off and become real. She tries to disassociate from the haunting images, but worries about their implications. On her first night in California, she visits with her aunt and new baby cousin, Vicky. When she realizes how fragile the baby is, she begins imagining ways to hurt her. Terrified of herself, she insists her aunt lock her in her room from the outside.

Years later, Francie moves out of her aunt and uncle's house and into her own apartment. Still afraid of what she might be capable of, she has her neighbor lock her in her room every night, and unlock her every morning. She also remains plagued by fragmented images of her journey between Portland and Los Angeles. Endeavoring to make sense of these scattered memories, she constructs a tent on her balcony. Each morning she sits in the tent and meditates on her past.

Through her mornings in the tent, Francie recalls every detail of her life from the moment of her mother's psychotic break to her arrival in California. She recalls that while on the train a mysterious man and woman tried to send her a message. Upon further meditation she realizes that the butterfly and the beetle are symbolic of tickets, and have allowed her safe passage from one realm of her life into the next.

With her cousin's help, she is finally able to vocalize her longtime fears over her mental stability. Vicky teaches her that she is able to sleep without the locks, and that she does not need to rely on the tent any longer. After making peace with her memories, Francie contacts Shrina for the first time in decades. Shrina sends her the butterfly lamp. After studying it, Francie sells it online. She also visits her mother, and allows Elaine to escort her to the airport. Francie later realizes it is the first time her mother has ever been there for her during a time of transition. By the end of the novel, Francie is able to reconcile her past with her present, and to feel comfortable with who she is.