Millerton, North Carolina, is a fictional small town between Asheville and the Tennessee state line. Like many of the real communities in the mountains, it traces its roots back through hunting, farming, forestry, and manufacturing. In recent years, jobs have dwindled and younger people have migrated to the bigger cities for opportunity. D. K. Wall's novels focus on the people who stayed behind and live their ordinary lives, even when extraordinary things happen to them.

While these books are based on the same town, they are not a series and can be read in any order. Each novel is a complete standalone.