Parchman Farm, Mississippi, 1940s and the present

Located in Sunflower County in northwestern Mississippi, Parchman Farm is also known as the Mississippi State Penitentiary. On its plantation-like setting, River, Richie, and Michael serve out their sentences. Parchman Farm is notorious for the abuse of inmates, especially African American ones, from its founding and through the twentieth century. Much of the major action of the novel takes place in Parchman during the 1940s and contemporary times.

Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, 1940s to the present

Bois Sauvage ("Savage Woods") is the mythical Mississippi town where the story of River and his descendants unfolds. Located in the Mississippi Delta, the small town is in a rural, Southern setting that is haunted by the aftermath of slavery and racism.

Carlotta's RV, the present

Leonie and Misty stop at Carlotta's home to pick up methamphetamine on their way to Parchman. The home is poorly maintained...