Section 1 - Part 1, Anno 1660, Actatis Suae 15, Great Harbor Summary

This historical novel, set in pre-revolution America (the mid-to-late 1600s) is the story of a young Puritan girl and her long-term relationship with a native boy. Over a period of several years, as it chronicles the struggles of the two friends to determine and retain their individual identities, the narrative also explores thematic questions related to the nature of God and the interrelationship between sin, redemption and rebirth.

Chapter 1 - Narrator Bethia lies awake in her attic bed and listens to her father and her brother Makepeace argue over whether she should be exposed to the near-pagan influence of the young man coming to live with them, a native given the Christian name of Caleb. Bethia describes the family's situation - isolated home and difficult life in a family...