The action takes place in two contrasting settings. The country of Harry's early years is heavily wooded, with ancient trees, tangled with vine and creeper. In sharp contrast, the countryside she is taken to after her parents' deaths is a desert, ringed with black, sharp-edged mountains. To her surprise, the desert with its harsh sand and hot sun actually pleases her, and the scratchy, blowing sand does not make her homesick for the forest. During the long rides, first from her homeland outward, then back toward home, individual scenes add variety. One example is the valley of the oracular Luthe, a remote setting quite unlike either forest or desert. One of its most remarkable features is the Lake of Dreams.