The book Keeping Corner, written by Kashmira Sheth, is set in the year 1918 in a small, rural village in India. The societal structure of India, called the caste system, plays a large part in how the story of Leela unfolds. She is lucky to have been born into the highest-ranking Brahman caste, but must also suffer the mourning traditions particular to her societal rank. "Keeping corner" is a mourning practice where women are essentially condemned to a life of poverty, shame, and exclusion after the death of their husbands. Leela must live in isolation in her own home for a year after the death of her husband, but her brother kindly procures a tutor for her. Much of the book takes place in Leela's family home, but there are mentions of life lived outside of the home, in the village and school.