Neither the novel nor the film indicate the story is set in New England. The author is from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region of North Carolina and some sources suggest the character of Miss Dove is based on a teacher in Chapel Hill. Jennifer Jones uses what resembles a New England accent in the film, which may have caused some to assume the story is set in New England, although an upper class young woman attending an elite finishing school early in the 20th century would likely have acquired a "transatlantic accent."
