Frances is on a bus to Santa Fe. She tries to assume a glamorous air because she wants to project mystery and refinement to her fellow passengers and to pretend that her father is not actually the bus driver. Although her father is a gregarious man, Frances finds him embarrassing and looks down whenever he greets or helps a passenger. She has brought her copy of Tess of the D’Urbervilles with her, and she tries to keep her focus on her reading. She is 16 and hopes that her life will be as storied as those of the heroines in her favorite novels.

Frances is on her way from Raton to Santa Fe to attend the Fiestas, a yearly celebration of the Spanish conquest of the region. She is to stay with her aunt Lilian and cousin Nancy, and she is excited at the prospect of an all-night party. Her aunt Lilian is lax in her house rules, and Nancy has assured her that they will have a wild time. Frances sees her excursion to Santa Fe as a precursor to leaving for college. She plans to head to the University of New Mexico when she finishes high school, and she is looking forward to leaving her parents behind in their small town.