The protagonist’s house is where the entire story takes place. The protagonist moves to this house with her family when her husband, Big V, gets a promotion. The house is three states away from her hometown, so the protagonist and her children experience homesickness. Moreover, the house is in a majority white neighborhood, which makes the protagonist apprehensive. This apprehension is warranted, because an altercation causes the police to be involved in a tense exchange, unjustifiably in favor of the white residents versus the protagonist.