The narrator describes the setting of “a quaint little town” that has only one road in and one road out (13). In the town, it always rains at noon, the local bar always serves burgers just a little bit burnt, and there is a cozy bookstore filled with thousands of books and comfy places to read. The narrator mentions that she knows this town would feel like home to her if it only existed. In the following chapters, it is revealed that this town is Eloraton, the setting of the Quixotic Falls romance series written by Rachel Flowers.

Eileen “Elsy” Merriweather, an English professor and prolific reader of romance novels who feels like her life is at a standstill, gets lost on the road on her way to Rhinebeck, New York. She is attempting to get to an annual book club retreat when she and her 1979 Ford Pinto named Sweetpea are caught in a rainstorm. She is left without cellphone service. Elsy looks forward to the annual retreat of the “Super Smutty Book Club” because it provides a break from her stagnant life. In the club, she and her friends can drink wine, read romance novels, and talk about how much they love books.