Chapter 1 Summary

Kira, a teenage girl with a deformed leg, is waiting for her mother's spirit to leave its body in the Field of Leaving. Custom dictates that the living must watch over the bodies of deceased adults for four days to allow the spirit safe passage into the afterlife. Kira's father, Christopher, never came back from a hunt when she was still an infant, and he is presumed dead, leaving Kira an orphan after the passing of her mother.

Once Kira senses that her mother's spirit has finally departed, she begins to worry about her future. Born into a society that usually euthanizes crippled children, Kira was saved from death by her mother's refusal to follow the custom, though the rest of the villagers regard Kira with contempt. Custom also dictates that the belongings of those who die from illness be burned, leaving Kira...