The story takes place in the province of Andalusia, southern Spain, which is characterized by "majestic mountains, lacey olive groves, the round symmetry of the bullrings, and the pointed church steeples." Arcangel, the village, bordered on three sides by olive groves and on one side by the Guadalquivir River, is isolated and so small that all of the villagers know each other. Although an exact date for the story's action is never given, the activities and attitudes of the people suggest modem times.