The novel is set in England in the village of Foxleigh and its environs in the late spring and summer of 1349. A portion of the story takes place in the great marsh that lies three or four days' journey to the east. In the beginning, Anne lives in one of the tiny cottages in the village with Gran and Da, her grandmother and her father. Her mother Rose died so long ago that Anne scarcely remembers her. Gran knows about healing with herbs and instructs Anne in their uses. Their life is narrow and restricted, and much of it is dictated by the demands of food, shelter, and clothing.

When Anne moves to the marsh, she lives in a makeshift hut at the base of an oak tree, comforted by a "stick of days" on which she keeps a record of the passage of time. Her companions are...