The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Tsumura, Kikuko. There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021.

Kikuko Tsumura's novel There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job is narrated from the first person point of view of the unnamed main character. The novel is written in the past tense and follows a linear plot progression.

After the narrator burned out at her former social working job, she quit and moved back in with her parents to recover. Once her unemployment benefits ended, the narrator decided to find alternative work to fill her time. She told her job recruiter Mrs. Masakado that she wanted a job that required as little investment as possible. She would prefer work that was close to home, allowed her to sit all day, and demanded almost nothing of her. Mrs. Masakado placed the narrator at a surveillance agency.

At the surveillance agency, the narrator was responsible for watching a surveillance target named Yamae Yamamoto. The agency suspected that Yamamoto was in possession of stolen gems. The narrator was thus tasked with studying his every move in order to determine the location of said gems. At first the work was so easy and predictable, the narrator enjoyed it. Over time, however, she found herself increasingly judgmental of and bored by Yamamoto. She realized that his isolating life as a novelist and freelancer was too similar to her own. Although her boss offered her a full time contract after she successfully completed her assignment, the narrator decided not to continue with the agency, viewing Yamamoto as a ghost of herself.

The narrator struggled to explain to Mrs. Masakado her reasons for leaving the surveillance agency. Despite her evasiveness, Mrs. Masakado was understanding and found her another easy job with a bus advertising agency. At this agency, the narrator was responsible for writing ads to be aired on the dying Albatross bus route. The narrator enjoyed the work and grew to like her coworker Ms. Eriguchi. When her boss Mr. Kazetani told her to let him know if she noticed anything suspicious about Ms. Eriguchi, the narrator was skeptical. However, she soon discovered that things were indeed disappearing and appearing around the neighborhood as Mr. Kazetani suspected. The narrator became determined to figure out if Ms. Eriguchi might be involved. Though she did come to believe that Ms. Eriguchi might have some magical power over the neighborhood businesses' success or failure, the narrator was disappointed when Ms. Eriguchi left the company. She too decided to leave shortly thereafter.

The narrator again met with Mrs. Masakado about finding a new job. She made more excuses for not staying on with the bus advertising company. Mrs. Masakado did not judge or belittle the narrator, and instead found her another job with a rice cracker manufacturer.

At the rice cracker manufacturer, the narrator was responsible for writing the cracker packaging copy. Her predecessor had formerly invented numerous trivia series for the packets, all of which had been lauded. Struggling to come up with new series of her own, the narrator felt defeated and discouraged. Then one day she came up with the idea for Ms. Fujiko's Helpful Hints. The series was so popular, the narrator felt awakened and exhilarated. When she soon discovered that her predecessor would return to the company, the narrator felt pushed out of her job and quit.

The narrator met with Mrs. Masakado at the employment center after leaving the cracker packet job. Mrs. Masakado listened to the narrator's vague reasons for leaving the cracker company and then placed her at a local postering company. At this company, the narrator was responsible for circulating the neighborhood and swapping out posters on homes and shops. The work was easy and the narrator liked spending time outdoors and interacting with others. She soon became curious when she noticed all of the Lonely No More! posters around the area. She learned that the organization targeted solitary individuals and pressured them into attending their gatherings. When the organization's tactics became harassing and invasive, the narrator and her boss did everything in their power to take Lonely No More! down. Feeling energized by the work, the narrator was shocked to report to the office one day and find it shut down.

The narrator told Mrs. Masakado she could not understand why her job with the postering company had ended. Mrs. Masakado offered a simple explanation and found the narrator a job at a local park. The narrator did not care what she did, unsure she wanted to work at all.

At the park, the narrator was tasked with guarding a small hut in the woods, updating the park's map, and rescuing lost visitors. The work was peaceful and meditative. Then one day, things began disappearing from the narrator's hut. She soon discovered that a lost visitor had taken up residence in a cave not far from the hut. After performing a bit of research, she learned that the man was a former social worker. She eventually apprehended him with the help of her boss. His name was Mr. Sugai, and he shared his social working experiences with the narrator. His experiences mirrored hers. She soon realized that she needed to return to the profession. Like all of her other jobs, social work was unpredictable. She was now ready to face these unpredictabilities with confidence and hope.