It takes place in the future, within the fictional society of the Coast Road, a network of agrarian communities that arises in California after natural disasters caused a societal collapse.

The people of the Coast Road were able to maintain records of life before the Fall as well as basic medical and agricultural knowledge, but have lost most modern technologies.

[2][3] Clay Bonneyman Evans of Colorado Arts and Sciences described it as "a mélange of murder mystery, post-apocalyptic world-building and a serious argument in favor of sustainability and responsible social policy.

"[4] Critics praised the novel's premise and worldbuilding for subverting post-apocalyptic tropes which typically feature more cynical characters and dystopian societies.

[8][7] Martini and Bourke praised the use of flash backs to explore Enid's backstory, while Publishers Weekly felt that "the numerous flashbacks rob the story of its urgency, making this less powerful than it could have been.