Hope Was Here is set in rural Wisconsin, in the heart of cheese country. Among the one-story buildings and quiet of the small town of Mulhoney, Hope Yancey learns some very hard truths about life and love.

The town of Mulhoney, where one major economic influence dominates the lives of many, is the perfect atmosphere to weaken the will of the majority to fight the powerful forces of money and power. At the same time, the town's size also allows Hope to settle in quickly, find a job, make new friends, and immediately become involved in the town's activities.

Because there is very little else to do, business at the Welcome Stairways Diner booms, and this places Hope and the other characters in the center of town happenings. In a very real sense, the diner becomes home; its workers and patrons become family. Hope, her aunt, and G...