The novel takes place in three main locations: the campus of Cornell University, the nursing home and on the traveling circus train during prohibition and Great Depression. The setting plays a crucial role in the story and affects the actions of the main character. At the beginning of the novel it opens up to a young Jacob Jankowski at Cornell University. He left behind his dream of being an Ivy League veterinarian due to his parent’s sudden death in a car crash. Feeling distort Jacob took his fate into his own hands. He climbed aboard a rickety train that just happened to be the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The traveling circus represents a time in Jacobs life that was full of light and glory. However