Louisville, Kentucky

The book opens in Louisville, Kentucky, Ember's hometown. The city is in better shape than many that have been destroyed, but military law still rules. The book's early scenes take place at the home shared by Ember and her mother. Then, the story moves to a downtown detention center.

Girls Reformatory and Rehabilitation Center, West Virginia

After her mother's arrest, Ember is placed at the Girls Reformatory and Rehabilitation Center somewhere in rural West Virginia. The facility is a cross between a small college campus and a prison, with the girls living in dorms, eating in a common room, and studying in somewhat typical classrooms. They are being held at the facility by armed guards.

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Harrisonburg, Virginia is the town in which Chase and Ember are supposed to meet the carrier who will take them and her mother to a safe house.

Various locations in the Southeast