At the beginning of "The Rememberer," the narrator, a woman, reveals to the readers that her partner is undergoing "reverse evolution." It soon becomes evident that she means this quite literally; her partner, Ben, first transformed into an ape and now, a month later, has become a sea turtle.

Following this surprising revelation, Annie, the narrator, explains that she believes Ben is "shedding a million years a day." His workplace called, inquiring about his absence, and Annie told them he was unwell. She keeps Ben, now a sea turtle, in a baking pan filled with water. Each day, when she returns home, he has devolved into a more primitive form.

Annie recounts the day Ben began his regression. He had been expressing his sorrowful belief that people think excessively. "Our brains are getting bigger and bigger, and the world dries up and dies when there’s too much thought and not enough heart." After they made love, Annie tried to comfort him by whispering, "See, we’re not thinking." Later, they went outside to the patio. Ben expressed a desire to sleep outdoors, so Annie left him there and went to bed alone. The next morning, she discovered that Ben the man was gone, replaced by a large ape on the patio.

Initially, Annie managed the situation with composure, hoping Ben would eventually return to his normal self. However, she has come to realize that this might not happen.

Now, when Annie comes home from work, Ben, in his baking pan, has turned into a small salamander. Upon seeing this, she acknowledges, "This is the limit of my limits... I cannot bear to look down into the water and not be able to find him at all." Consequently, she takes the pan, with Ben inside, to the beach, setting it adrift on the water and bidding farewell.

She now waits, pondering whether Ben will ever come back as a man. She ensures that her memories of him remain vivid, "because if he’s not here, then it is my job to remember."