Set in the 1980s, the novel tells the story of Summer Mclntyre, who lives with her mother. Oriole, and her sevenyear-old sister, Sparrow, in Alvarro, California. Oriole harbors romantic visions of getting back to nature and living the simple life, but she depends upon welfare to raise her family. The Mclntyres live in a wooded area in a trailer that they rent from their friends and neighbors, the Fishers. The Fishers own some greenhouses in which they grow strawberries and tomatoes to sell in town. Oriole occasionally works for the Fishers but spends most of her time with whatever man she happens to be dating at the time; consequently, she devotes little attention to her children.

The California setting provides a crucial element to the story: the "laid back" atmosphere lets Oriole feel safe in allowing her children to roam freely. She believes they will survive, adapt, and...