Meet Kino, an impoverished but plucky native who makes a living diving for pearls off the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. He lives with his wife Juana and son Coyotito, who unfortunately gets stung by a scorpion within the first five pages. Distraught (understatement of the year), Juana calls for the doctor, who has very particular requirements for his patients – namely, that they have lots of cash. Kino and Juana go to the doctor’s house anyway, but their race and poverty work against them. The doctor won’t treat Coyotito, so Kino goes pearl-diving in the hopes of hitting the jackpot (i.e., a really, really big pearl). Juana accompanies him on the canoe with their baby. Kino then finds…a really, really big pearl. At the same time, Coyotito miraculously heals himself. This is a good day for the family