Miracles on Maple Hill takes place during the 1950s, mostly at the fictional Maple Hill in northern Pennsylvania.

Maple Hill is bitterly cold in the winter and alive with mystery and discovery all year round. When Marty's family first arrives there, the ground is still mushy with snow and the local maple trees are in the midst of their "sugar season," when their sugary sap can be harvested for syrup. As the weather warms, the region comes alive with flowers and wildlife.

At first, the house that the family will stay in appears uninviting: "The porch was heavy with snow and you could see where one step had fallen in. Huge snowy bushes hung over the railing. It looked as if nobody had lived there for a hundred years." Mice live in the musty interior. The house's isolation seems to help Marty's father, Dale, because he gets cheerier...