Most of the action takes place in the library, history class, the auditorium, and the principal's office in a high school. Brief scenes occur in student Barney Roth's home, the former librarian's home, and the town hall. The unremitting thrust of the book is on book censorship, so all the action happens in connection with that decision. There are no subplots or social events that would take the action elsewhere.

Hentoff does not say where the school is located. It could be a high school anywhere because the problem comes up everywhere; however, it could be in Virginia since the school is named for George Mason who drafted Virginia's Declaration of Rights.