This work is narrated in the first person by a character named Sophia. The story she tells began six years before and takes place in a small New England town, often referred to as a village, named Linnville. The town is set in the country and is composed of a small community where people are by no means rich, but are able to live comfortably. The Jamesons are a very wealthy family from New York City who come to Linville for the summer, and eventually buy a permanent summer home there.