Around 1885, Rambling was a remote countryside estate. "The home" stands alone, well back from the road, three miles from the hamlet. It is isolated from the road and so from civilization; the home itself is defined as a location that ties and confines. It is a large, rambling structure, built in stages over many years; the walls are yellow with plaster scraped off to expose the brick underneath. The mansion has seven rooms, not including the attic. There is no heat, only cold air from a furnace in the basement. Water is brought up from a well in a pasture behind the house. By some means, the servants are able to get food and supplies without being seen by anyone other than their owner. The only people who visit the house are doctors who come to examine the wife of the former owner. When one of these doctors tries to take her hand to help her up after her fall, she pulls away from him. The doctor leaves, but not before warning the woman that if she wants to go, she will have to walk out herself. She refuses to leave the house again. Within a month of moving into the house, the wife begins to show signs of illness. She complains of feeling weak and having headaches, but her husband thinks it's just because she is homesick.