For Serge, personal identity connects strongly to the sheep ranch; his life is shaped around the natural world and the tasks necessary to care for, shear, and cull his sheep. The novel further contextualizes Serge’s connection to the land through his story, which Carol initially interprets as fantastical fiction but is later revealed as true, about his boyhood and young adulthood in the enchanted village around the magical tree and lake.

For Serge, the ranch contains his life story. Elements of this story include the stump of the tree that gave him and Rosa centuries of immorality, the barn where he first lived with Rosa and Raúl, and the ranch house, which he built himself using wood from the magic tree. Serge clashes with his family, who (without the shared context of Serge’s life there) view the arid property and dated ranch house with derision and even disgust, particularly in light of the need to clean it up for sale. Carol describes the ranch to her friend Gabby as “awful” and “too hot” (30). Carol envies her friends: “[T]hey get to stay in Albuquerque and hang out while I’m stuck here for the summer” (30).