With its culturally mixed neighborhoods and diverse society, Los Angeles serves perfectly as the setting for this story. Weetzie and her extended family live in and explore the area around Hollywood with its palm trees, sushi bars, and movie sets. They encounter people and go to places that reflect the diversity found in Los Angeles, like a restaurant called Oki Dogs where Weetzie and Dirk buy "the wildest, cheapest cheese and bean and hot dog and pastrami burritos." The magic of Los Angeles also extends to the way time passes, slowly and seamlessly.

Initially, Weetzie and Dirk are in high school, but the book follows them into adulthood and traces the choices each makes.