She moved there from Nebraska where it is clear her life had had its traumas and struggles. Even though it is not spelled out until later in the book, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that at age 15 Natalie was sexually assaulted. The full details aren’t traversed in Virtuous but the listener understands that somehow the event led Natalie to change her name, her appearance and to separate from her parents and younger sisters. She has been alone since she was 15.