Three American explorers, Terry Nicholson, Jeff Margrave, and Vandyck Jennings, are intrigued when they hear rumors of a land inhabited entirely by women. It is whispered that no man has ever returned from this strange place. Fascinated, the men employ a native guide to lead them to view the isolated “Herland,” as Terry derisively terms it. Upon arriving, the explorers are instantly greeted by young Ellador, Celis, and Alima. When the men attempt to catch them, they are surprised to discover that the women’s quick, easy strides surpass their own. Curious, the explorers make their way to the village, convinced that such a civilization of beauty and efficiency must surely be the result of a male-dominated population. Reaching the town, the invaders are met by a multitude of women. Because they refuse to cooperate with Herland’s citizens, the men are seized, born aloft, anesthetized, and comfortably confined.

While the men are imprisoned, assigned tutors teach them the national language, culture, and history; the prisoners are also instructed about the behavior expected of them as guests of Herland. The Americans learn that Herland was once a slaveholding civilization inhabited by both men and women. Constant warfare with the native populations in the region had killed almost all the men. When the few remaining slaveholders and all the older women were killed by male slaves who intended to control the fortressed country and its young female inhabitants, the women were forced to defend themselves, and they vanquished their conquerors. After that, no man has existed in Herland for two thousand years.

The women maintain their species through a miraculous development of parthenogenesis, an inherited power of a few that had become a characteristic of the entire race of women. This amazing ability to self-fertilize not only enables women to have female children but also becomes the religious focus of the country. Herlanders believe not in a personalized god but in a maternal pantheism. The country collectively recognizes that its life force and driving salvation are derived from its children. All the inhabitants collaborate and pool their resources to ensure that Herland’s collective citizenry becomes what they call Conscious Makers of People. Selective motherhood, communal nurturing, and equitable education eliminate the destructive behaviors of the former civilization, and collaboration replaces aggression.

Vandyck and Jeff studiously apply themselves to their lessons. With their newly discovered knowledge, they are able to adapt to their surroundings. Terry, however, remains angry and anxious in his captivity, and he struggles to regain control according to his old notions. He never misses an opportunity to deride his captors and never stops referring to the women in derogatory or patronizing terms. He can neither outwit nor charm his guardians.

During the educational process, the tutors innocently engage their students with questions about American societal practices. Herland’s enforced isolation leaves its citizens hungry for knowledge of other cultures. Often the women are surprised by the explorers’ descriptions, which unconsciously depict primitive crudities inherent in American culture, which apparently affect all realms of society including the family, economics, division of labor, education, and religion. The novel’s narrator, Vandyck, reveals a growing awareness that some aspects of American culture are patriarchal and barbaric when contrasted with Herland’s superior and egalitarian system.

Once the men have mastered the rudimentary aspects of Herland’s culture, history, and language, they are freed from bodily restraint but still not allowed to leave the country. Soon after, they fall in love with the young women they had first encountered. Eventually, the three foreigners marry the three Herland women in a triple ceremony sanctioned by the entire community. The men...