The title is an acronym for "Until Cows Do Have Yellow Eyes," a modern surrealist fable that has gained a cult following in digital book circles. The Premise

: Elias finds a calf washed up on the shore of the static sea. Its eyes are a dull amber, but as he cares for it, they begin to glow a brilliant, neon yellow.

The story follows , a disillusioned lighthouse keeper on a coast where the sea has turned to static. In this world, biological "glitches" occur whenever people lose hope. The most famous omen of total societal collapse is the legend that the world will end "until cows do have yellow eyes"—a phrase meant to mean "never."

: Realizing the prophecy is manifesting, Elias must travel inland to the "Capital of Constant Noon" to find the Weaver, the only person who can reset the world’s visual frequency.