Stuck in Neutral is set in the backdrop of Seattle, Washington, where Shawn lives with his mother and two siblings, Cindy who is 17, and Paul who is 16. Shawn’s mother is his primary care giver; she feeds him his meals and takes care of his needs every day. His father left shortly after Shawn was born because he couldn’t handle seeing his son in pain, particularly watching Shawn suffer through his seizures. Shawn has anywhere from six to twelve grand mal seizures each day. While these seizures were painful when he was younger, Shawn has adapted to them and now finds he can leave his body during the seizures and gain a sense of freedom as he floats around the greater Seattle area during these lapses. Thus, despite his father’s revulsion toward the seizures, Shawn loves them.