New York City

New York City is the setting where the novel begins. This is the metropolitan area in which Lucy resides. Her first husband William and her two daughters Chrissy and Becka also all live in New York. At the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, William insists that his daughters leave the city. They do so without telling Lucy. Shortly thereafter, William urges Lucy to accompany him to Maine so that she can also get out of New York. Despite her hesitations, she agrees to leave.

Although she ultimately gives up her New York apartment, Lucy returns to New York at the novel's end. She does so in order to spend time with her daughters.

Maine

Maine is the state to which Lucy and William travel at the start of the novel. Convinced that the virus will soon take over New York, William urges Lucy to leave the...