As the title suggests, setting is extremely important in this novel; the cabin, the woods, the wild animals, and the isolation are all presented before the characters are introduced. Wilder, who moved often as a child but always remained a country girl, conveys a strong sense of place in her writing. The book describes the events in and around the Ingallses' cabin in the Wisconsin woods during the year that Laura celebrates her fifth birthday. It is the early 1870s, and the area is sparsely populated with self-sufficient farmers and woodsmen who make their own tools and find their own entertainment.

The story begins and ends in the winter, with the family cozy inside the house, watching the fire, listening to Pa's fiddle and his stories, occasionally looking out at the wind, snow, dark trees, and even the wolves that howl near the cabin. As spring approaches, this...