The story takes place during two months of the summer of 1870. The MacDonalds live about twenty miles north of Winnipeg, where they own a farm on the prairie of Manitoba. Uncultivated land encircles the farm, and the Red River is less than a mile away. The novel takes place almost completely outdoors, either at the farm or in the surrounding countryside. Ben, the central character, is the youngest of the MacDonald children. Ben finds that he is most comfortable out-of-doors, where he can pursue his fascination with animals.