Summary

In 1968 in the town of Hilo, Hawaii, a girl named Hi`i is born. The community fears that Laka, the baby’s mother, will abandon her and run away. The town at one time hoped that Laka would become Miss Aloha Hula, but she ran away from home rather than fulfill this mission. Instead, Laka moved to Maui and took work at a resort before returning with a white baby. While Laka was gone, Hilo became rapidly commercialized due to tourist traffic. After Hi`i’s birth, Laka returns to Hilo, where a change comes over here. She becomes attached to her child and refuses help from the other women in the community. The community grows concerned when Hi`i does not become more dark-skinned as she grows older; it becomes clear that Laka slept with a white man. Hi`i...