This contemporary story is set in the remote backwoods of northeastern Mississippi. Ellen and her father live on the five-acre farm where he was born.

The land includes some tillable soil, a pasture for the horse, and hills. Ellen has never left the immediate area, only traveling the five miles to the nearest village of Crow's Point Junction for supplies and to the larger town of Millville where she attends school. This suspense novel takes place during a three-week period at the end of July and the first part of August.