The novel begins in 1987. This is a time before cellphones, home computers, and social media. People still communicated face to face rather than through text messages or direct messages. They got the majority of their knowledge from libraries or from other people knowledgeable in a specific trade or subject. In this novel, Novalee Nation learns about photography from books and her friend, Moses Whitecotton. Her desire for knowledge on how to care for a buckeye tree leads Novalee to the library where she meets the librarian’s brother, Forney Hull, for the first time. If she had Google, it is unlikely she would have needed the information that led to her becoming such close friends with either Forney or Moses.

The book is set in a small town in Oklahoma called Sequoyah. Due to the town’s size, Novalee quickly becomes known in the community and makes many friends as a result. At the same time, however, Novalee becomes a subject of gossip shortly after Americus is born and her situation is revealed. Without social media, however, interest in Novalee’s story quickly wanes, and she is able to have a normal, comfortable life in Sequoyah.