Chicago, Illinois

Both Margaret and James attend a professional writer's conference in Chicago in April of 2017. After the conference, James and Maggie share a taxi back to their separate hotels, but James insists on returning to Maggie's hotel with him. The two go up to her room together and have sex into the morning. James and Maggie share another taxi to the airport the next morning, where they agree that they should not see each other again. Maggie frequently thinks of her time in Chicago and is unable to stop thinking about her night with James.

New York City, New York

New York City first appears in the novel when Maggie remembers the role 9/11 played in her life and in her daughter's young life. Her daughter was at school when 9/11 happened. Her teacher explained to the children what occurred, which scared Kate into thinking she could speak to the...