A never named island is the main setting of the novel. According to the history kept by the turtles, the island was once part of a mountain range that was flooded by rising sea levels and worsening storms. The island, then a mountain, appeared when the waters rose. The island is populated by a diverse population of animals, ranging from foxes and bears to squirrels and hares.

Much of the shoreline of the island is rocky, while most of the interior of the island is full of forests and small meadows and clearings. It is off the coast of the island that the first cargo ship sinks at the beginning of the novel, leading to Roz being washed ashore.

Costal habitats are widely diverse, from shallow sea water, to dunes and beaches, to rock pools and coves.

Huge varieties of species live and depend on costal habitats. For example, coastal cliffs are the rocky land edges that face the sea. These are complex and varied habitats that lie above the water line, where exposure to salty spray, wind, sun and rain all play their part. Flowers such as thrift, campion and samphires thrive here and colourful lichens cover the rocks. Cliff tops make important nesting places for seabirds and each species has its own requirements. Sheer numbers of birds make a huge amount of noise and their nesting sites can smell pretty bad! Bats, lizards and buzzing insects are also to be found.

The intertidal zone is the area between the high and low tide lines which is sometimes underwater and sometimes exposed to the air depending on whether the tide is high or low. Areas closer to the sea are the first to be submerged as the tide rises and the last to be exposed as it ebbs, and therefore spend a greater amount of time fully underwater. Any creatures living in this zone must be able to survive both in and out of sea water (for example: mussels, limpets and hermit crabs).

As the tide goes out, pools of seawater are left behind on uneven rocks. The conditions in these small pools are often harsh, with evaporation and rain causing the concentration of salt in the water to go up or down dramatically. The temperature and oxygen levels can also vary greatly depending on whether or not it is a sunny day, or if there are any plants in the pool. Creatures that live in rock pools must be able to cope with an ever-changing and often extreme environment.

Seaweed and other marine debris (which can be either natural or man-made) is deposited at the point reached by the highest tide. This is called the springtide and forms something called the strandline. The plants left in this way support a variety of small creatures such as insects, which in turn are prey items for larger animals such as birds and small mammals.

Even further up the shore, the splash zone is the area above the high tide point that is rarely, if ever, submerged by the water, although the rocks will occasionally be soaked by wave splashes. This is a harsh environment and not many creatures survive here. However, some species such as lichens are found in this zone.

A meadow is a habitat that is covered with mostly grasses, flowers, and other non-woody plants. Meadows are typically large, open spaces that have few or no trees. Meadows can be agricultural, transitional, urban, or perpetual. Agricultural meadows are formed when land set aside for livestock is left to grow but is still used for occasional grazing. Transitional meadows sprout up when land that was cleared for farming or livestock is abandoned. These areas are eventually replaced by woody plants like trees and shrubs. Urban meadows are created when homeowners allow their lawns to grow naturally, creating opportunities for native grasses and wildflowers to regrow. Perpetual, or natural meadows grow without human influence. These meadows are found in areas where the climate and soil conditions make it difficult for trees and shrubs to grow. Natural meadows can be found high up in the mountains, by the coast, and even in marshy areas.

The abundance of native grasses, wildflowers, and other plants that populate meadows support many species of insects, mammals, and reptiles. Grasses and other plants are important food sources for many species of caterpillars, and butterflies can find plenty of nectar rich flowers including clover and milkweed. Native bee species are welcome guests and help wildflowers grow by spreading pollen as they visit to sip nectar. Other insect species like beetles, ants, crickets, grasshoppers, and more that live among the tall grasses provide food for insect eating birds like swallows and sparrows. Deer, reptiles, amphibians, and small rodents are also common as passerby and can find food and shelter among the dense plant growth. Thousands of different species depend on meadow habitats for their survival and these species in turn influence the survival and health of animals and plants in surrounding habitats.

The dominant plant in the taiga is the coniferous evergreen tree. These trees include spruce, pine, cedar, and fir trees. They grow close together forming a canopy over the land, like an umbrella. This canopy soaks up the sun and only lets a little bit of sunlight through to the ground.

The conifers of the taiga produce their seeds in cones. They also have needles for leaves. Needles are good at holding in water and surviving the harsh cold winds each winter. The trees also grow in a cone shape. This helps the snow to slide off their branches.

Under the canopy of the trees, few other plants grow. In some moist areas plants such as ferns, sedges, mosses, and berries will grow.