The novel is set in a variety of locations. It begins in the desert outside of Boneville, where the three Bone cousins find themselves lost after being thrown out of town. The area is hot, dry, and without water. The land is also home to locusts. Right off the desert, however, lies a fertile forest, with a variety of inhabitants. The area is lush with vegetation, and when Fone finds himself trapped for the winter, the forest proves to be home to a number of individuals that help him overcome.