The novel is set in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. It is the early 1930s, the heart of the Great Depression. When Mildred Pierce’s husband Bert comes into the kitchen, she confronts him about his affair with the flirtatious widow Maggie Biederhof, telling him to choose between her and Maggie. Bert packs his clothes and leaves without talking to his daughters, Ray and Veda, who are at school. Bert drives away with the car, leaving Mildred no way to deliver the massive cake she is icing. Mildred confides to her neighbor and friend Lucy Gessler that Bert has gone.

Mildred’s older daughter Veda acts much older than her 11 years. She is pretty, confident, and self-possessed. Though Mildred has little disposable money, she pays for Veda’s piano lessons. When Mildred tells Veda that Bert is not coming back, Veda, who prefers her father over Mildred, coldly replies, “I see, Mother. I just wanted to know” (16). Veda then relays the news to her seven-year-old sister Ray. Veda disdains Maggie as “distinctly middle-class” (16).

Mildred is 28, has blonde-brown hair, blue eyes, and a pleasant face. Mildred’s figure is alluring, particularly her legs. When Mildred was a high school junior, Bert seduced her in the model house of his home building company.