In Dicey's Song, she is determined to fix an old boat she finds at Gram's farm, and continue to learn to sail. The family name, Tillerman also connects to the sailing theme. In her Afterword to the novel, Voigt explains that although the Tillerman family and the events described are all fictional, the geography of the book is accurate. However, some of the places mentioned are either fictional or deliberately or unintentionally misnamed. This novel is the first in a seven-part series, known as the Tillerman Cycle. The novel introduces some of the main characters in the cycle, and refers to others, such as Bullet Tillerman and Francis Verricker. Apart from "Dicey's Song", which describes events immediately following "Homecoming", the Tillerman Cycle is not chronological. Each book in the series follows events in the lives of different characters introduced in "Dicey's Song" or "Homecoming". "Seventeen Against the Dealer" takes up events in Dicey's life when she is 21. "A Solitary Blue" concerns events in the life of Jeff Greene, a character introduced in "Dicey's Song" and a central figure in "Seventeen Against the Dealer". "The Runner" is about Samuel 'Bullet' Tillerman, the children's late uncle and Gram's son. "Sons from Afar" tells the story of James' and Sammy's search for the lost father, Francis Verricker. "Come a Stranger" describes events in the life of Mina, a character introduced in "Dicey's Song". "Homecoming" can be seen as the first in a two-part series, which forms the basis for the explorations of character that occur throughout the rest of the Tillerman Cycle.