The story takes place in the early 1900s in the Florida backwoods. This is strawberry country; school run s through the summer months but closes during berry picking season in January, February, and March. Most of Birdie Boyer's time is spent at home, working in the berry patch, doing housework, taking care of her younger siblings, or studying. Birdie is proud, as are her neighbors, to be a "Cracker"—a Florida native—and not a Yankee from up north. The town closest to Birdie's home boasts an open town square with a railroad depot on one side and houses and shops along the other sides. Going to town is an event that requires a ride in the mule-drawn wagon.