Paulsen sets the novel in a rural area of northern Minnesota, offering insight into the challenges of farming life in an earlier, pre-industrialized America where farm work depended primarily on manual labor. The story depicts a simpler lifestyle and a slower world with few machines and material possessions as Paulsen conveys the experiences and patterns that defined country life in America for centuries. His father and older brother, Wayne, assume the primary responsibilities and chores around the farm. His father plows the fields with horses, and they all have to fence the animals with their own hands. Eldon’s family relies on animals and plants for their sustenance and survival. Their house is a simple wooden cabin with no electricity, as they use lanterns for light and a wood-burning stove for heat. As Eldon explains, the family’s only income is “milk and cream and egg and grain money” (16), things they sell in town. 

Eldon’s family also has a specific structure. The male members of the family, like his father and Wayne, are responsible for the chores, while his mother is the head of the household and manages the money. Apart from the repetitive physical labor, the family also enjoys moments of fun and recreation with trips to the lake or special visits to town.