Book 1, Orleanna Price Summary

The Poisonwood Bible, told through the voices of Orleanna Price and her four daughters, is the story of a missionary family who travel to Africa just as the Congo is on the brink of civil war. The family struggles to adapt to their new surroundings while Nathan Price remains oblivious to his family and to the villagers he is trying to convert. Mirroring the conflict in the Congo, the family begins to disintegrate. Although the family is told to leave, Nathan refuses, putting his family in danger. The final straw comes when Ruth May is killed by a green mamba snake placed in their chicken house by a villager. Orleanna and her three remaining daughters walk out of the village and Nathan's life. The women struggle to come to terms with their time in the Congo and their relationships...