The setting is rural Ohio during the late 1800s. The borning room, located off the kitchen in the Lott family farmhouse, is where most of the drama occurs. Popular in early American times, borning rooms were used for births, illnesses, and deaths.

The opening paragraph describes this spare, whitewashed room which contains only a bed, a table and a lamp. The room reminds Georgina of each of her family's births, illnesses, and deaths. The view from the room's one window evokes memories of important events experienced in the orchard, in the cornfield, in the barn, and beside the memory tree. The horning room serves as a symbol for the life of Georgina Caroline Lott.