The year is 1899 and a new century is about to begin. The novel takes place across three settings and each section of the tale is set in a different part of the world. Section one is set in London, where most of the story takes place in Fevvers’ dressing room after one of her shows. Section two is set in St. Petersburg. Fevvers and Walser are both a part of the circus: the main setting of section two. The final section starts off on a train traveling through Siberia. Once the train crashes, the characters spend the rest of the novel in the Siberian wilderness.