Chinatown

Chinatown is the main setting of the story. This is where Zou Lei lives, as well as where Skinner tries to find a room nearby. Chinatown is a Chinese immigrant district in New York with many illegals and poor trying to find work. It is described as “crowded" (375) and home to “ghetto buildings and (a) huge cathedral" (110). There are many Chinese restaurants, as well as the Flushing Mall where Zou Lei finds a job at a restaurant. There are also many vendors, as many people make their living selling various items such as food, crafts, cheap clothes, and shoes.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is an important setting both to Zou Lei and to Skinner. Zou Lei was born in the area before the Chinese took over her nomadic town. Skinner served in Afghanistan for three deployments after 9/11. Both remember the area very differently. Zou Lei recounts a “blue-shadowed desert basin...