The story begins in a tiny rundown hotel room in Venice, Italy. The majority of the action takes place in either the family's hotel rooms or the various concert halls that Humphrey plays in.

The majority of the scenes depicted are seedy hotels, restaurants, rehearsal halls, and a train. The story takes place in post World War II Europe with flashbacks to the 1800s as Sam reads about the life of Laszlo Magyar. The climax of the book takes place in an old spooky warehouse along the riverbanks in Geneva.