Book 1, Chapters 4-6 Summary

Dan finds a surfboard, hides his belongings, and glides out to sea, wondering how long Ruth wants him to float and what the currents being "just right " means. When Dan awakens with no land in sight, he panics, knowing that without sunscreen, food, or water he could die. By night he suffers feverish chills and remorse for trusting Ruth, and by day his skin blisters, his lips crack, and he longs for death. The third night, he is thrown ashore and passes out on Molokai Island. There, a midwife delivers Mitsu Fujimoto's baby and returns to her cabin, where her young assistant and pupil, Sachi, is caring for Dan. Ruth Johnson asks why Dan fails to follow her instruction to take provisions. Dan objects he receives no second page. Ruth explains her dual life on Oahu as Ruth and...