New York City provides the geographical locale for Linda Ann's quest, as chronicled by Tamar. Set in the present, the story seems plausible although an occasional reference to "popular" song lyrics does date the text somewhat. Linda Ann lives with her mother, a cosmetics-counter saleswoman, in a Long Island apartment above Varian's Gifts and Imports. Her best buddy in school, Jeff Breslow, lives in the "lushly landscaped world of Lloyd Hill," a nearby, upscale subdivision in the North Bay community.