The story begins with “Mr. Johannes Zegner of the Blue Sink Zegners, pioneer of the tallgrass prairie and future owner of 160 acres of Nebraska,” telling his son, Miles, to get the “Window” ready because the Inspector is coming (83). Miles is the 11-year-old protagonist of the story, and he and his family live in Nebraska, in the Hox River Settlement. They moved to Nebraska from Pennsylvania in hopes of receiving ownership of the land per the requirements of the Homestead Act. The Zegners have met every requirement except having a window in their home.

The Inspector is a rumored man who comes around every once in a blue moon to inspect each settler’s homestead to see if they meet the requirements to receive the deed. Miles’s mom has long ago lost faith in the Inspector’s existence, but it’s rumored that the Inspector is coming. The Zegners own a window, but they haven’t installed it yet because Johannes says, “you know the Window must benefit every settler out here. We are only its stewards” (87). Johannes named it “the Hox River Window and swore it to any claimant in need” (87). Since Miles is the best horseback rider, Johannes asks him to take the Window to their neighbors, so that the Inspector will think that they have windows, too.