In July 1931 in Dobbin’s Corner, New York, nine-year-old Lilly Blackwood is on the eve of her 10th birthday. She is locked in the attic of her family’s horse farm, Blackwood Manor House, and looking out the window when she spots an unfamiliar sight—a circus tent in the distance. She has never set foot outside the attic or gone to other rooms in her house. Her only visitors are her parents, Daddy and Momma, and her only companion is her cat, Abby. While Daddy brings her presents, tells her he loves her, and allows her to explore other parts of the attic besides her bedroom, Momma, whose name is Coralline, punishes her severely for any disobedience and forces her to pray for the forgiveness of her sins. There are bars on the window of the attic, which Coralline tells Lilly “are there to protect [her] […] If someone got in, they’d be afraid of [her] and they’d try to hurt [her]” (5). While Lilly does not understand why someone would fear her, she knows that she looks different than her parents: “[H]er skin was powder-white, her long, straight hair the color and texture of spider webs.