Mississippi Chariot is set in the southern state of Mississippi in May 1936 and describes the situation of sharecroppers there.

Robinet vividly tells young adults about the hardships of Shortning's life as part of a sharecropper's family. She describes the family's poor living conditions and tattered clothing. She contrasts the advantages of white people with the prejudice African Americans endure. In these ways, the novel depicts both the social and economic climate.

The author also develops the natural beauty of Mississippi. For example, she describes: "moths with eyespots on their wings .. . air so clean and so cool and so sweet... honeysuckle flowers... fragrance in breezes that seemed to sweeten the whole world." The summer climate of a Mississippi May weaves into the adventures. She also uses southern dialect to characterize the "colored folk."