Part One-The Blue Vault of Heaven, Chapters 1 & 2 Summary

Moloka'i is an epic novel that tells much of the history of the leper settlement at Kalaupapa on the Hawaiian island Moloka'i. The novel's main character is Rachel, who is sent to Kalaupapa when a young girl. Rachel witnesses events at Kalaupapa for over fifty years.

The novel opens in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1891. Rachel is five years old. Rachel's mother, Dorothy, and her siblings are introduced. She has two brothers, Benjamin and Kimo and a sister two years older named Sarah.

Rachel asks when her father, who is a sailor, will return home, but Dorothy does not know. The family walks the half mile to church. During Sunday school, the teacher is trying to tell a story from the bible, but Rachel repeatedly interrupts to ask questions. Rachel is particularly interested...