Zia

Zia joins Father Vicente on his trip to find Stone Hands. Zia doesn’t want to leave Karana alone so she and Mando also go with them. Father Vicente demands that the garrison stay behind. When they arrive at the canyon and find Stone Hands, Father Vicente tries to convince him to return to the Mission. He says Father Merced is gone, and they will not have to work long hours. He mentions that more melons have grown, and they can eat them. Zia also says the crop is going to be good this year. Father Vicente promises to pay for the stolen goods. Zia understands that the group was starving and lacked water, and it was the reason why Stone Hands had not sent a message to her.

Father Vicente realizes the group is starving and asks them to return to the Mission, promising that the law will change. He guarantees they will be paid for their labor and warns them that the garrison may attack them. Stone Hands considers his choices and decides to follow Father Vicente back to the Mission. 

A man strikes the pot from the fire with the food the group is cooking, scattering the burning wood. Soon, a fire spreads. Everyone runs. Father Vicente and Stone Hands help the children move away. Everyone follows Karana, who knows how to find a way out of the canyon. Mando, though, wanting to brag about saving the people, suggests they should have gone from the lagoon. Zia knows that Mando does not like Karana because he cannot understand her. Like other people in the Mission, Mando thinks that everyone should speak the language he does. When Karana tries to speak a few words in Spanish, everyone thinks they sound different. Mando says he can compete with Stone Hands, who follows the surf and runs toward the sea.

After the group returns to the Mission, Father Vicente argues with Captain Cordova and four white men who accuse Stone Hand’s group of starting the fire on purpose. Things improve in the Mission after Father Vicente takes charge because the laws have changed. The Indigenous people do not work all day and are allowed to sell the things they produce to white traders. They can keep part of their money, and the rest is given to the Mission. Karana also participates in the trading process. 

Things change after Father Malatesta’s arrival. The new Father Superior takes charge and sends Father Vicente away. Everyone is sad about his departure. Father Malatesta preaches to the Indigenous tribes and affirms he will make a fine Mission. Indigenous people work hard and are not allowed to keep their money. Father Malatesta claims that the Mission is very poor and everyone must toil to improve it. 

No one likes Father Malatesta’s ways, and Stone Hands protests again. Zia notes, though, that the change mostly impacts Karana. Father Malatesta orders her to sleep in the dormitory, and her dog must stay in the courtyard. One night, Zia sees that Karana and her dog are missing.

The following morning, Karana and her dog do not appear. At noon, Zia searches for her in the cave in San Felipe Lagoon. She finds Karana inside the cave with her dog. Karana has brought with her the wounded animals and birds she rescued while living in the Mission. Zia knows that Karana cannot return to the Mission while Father Malatesta is there since he will force her to sleep in the dormitory with the others. 

Zia attends mass in the Mission and returns to the cave at night, bringing some melons for Karana. Karana has built a fire and is eating clams. She later shows Zia the wall of the cave and some bird skeletons in it. Karana says the word for dolphin, which Zia taught her, and Zia believes she wants to return to the island. The two sit in silence for hours, with everything they want to say to each other “locked within” them. 

Zia returns the next day and finds Karana looking pale and feeling sick. Zia tries to take Karana back to the Mission but she refuses. She returns the next day with a medicine man from the Mission. He performs a ceremony and then prays in Spanish to the tribal gods. The medicine man says god Zando promises to help. Zia returns with him to the Mission and goes to the chapel to pray to the Virgin Mary. 

The next day, Karana feels better and builds a fire. She could not feed the rescued animals but sheltered them until some died.

One spring day, Stone Hands gathers a group of young people, and together they leave for the north. Mando goes with them. He tells Zia that he plans to go to Monterey and maybe find the captain of the Boston Boy and ask for work. He says he wants to find work that suits his skills. Zia wishes him well.

Karana falls ill again, and Zia asks the woman supervisor in the Mission to help her. She suggests that Karana return to the Mission because everyone is busy. Zia speaks to a younger priest who also says that Karana must return because they cannot treat her on the beach. Zia explains that Karana is not used to Mission life, emphasizing that even she is not yet used to it. Zia explains that she came to the Mission of her own will but liked living in the mountains. She hopes that someday she will adjust. She says she liked it when Father Vicente was superior, and she loved God and the Virgin. The priest is angry and says he will talk to Father Malatesta. 

Zia returns to the cave and finds Karana lying on a rock. She stays beside her, holding her hand. The next morning, Karana takes off her necklace and gives it to her. Zia kisses her, promising to come back at noon. Karana smiles at her, and moments later, she dies. 

People think that Karana died of the cold while living on the beach, or a disease she contracted from white traders. Zia knows the cause of her death is different. She liked people at the Mission despite being isolated. However, Karana missed the Island of the Blue Dolphins, just like Zia misses her home. The night after her funeral, Zia sleeps with Karana’s dog. Zia has to take care of Karana’s animals.

Zia leaves the Mission at night, taking some supplies and Karana’s dog with her. Father Malatesta finds her at the gate and asks her where she is going. Zia replies that she is going to the mountains, far away from the Mission. Father Malatesta inquires who gave her permission to leave. Zia explains that she decided to leave the Mission, just as she once decided to come. Father Malatesta questions Zia, asking if she does not like the priests and her life at the Mission. Zia expresses her gratitude to him, Father Vicente, and Father Merced, but insists that she must go home. Father Malatesta hands her the Bible he is holding and bids her farewell.

By morning, Zia reaches Box Canyon. A man appears, but the dog scares him away. Zia feels safe with the dog by her side. She notes that it is “a long way home” but a “happy journey” (179). Throughout the trip, Zia reflects on her life and the final days of her girlhood. As she continues, Zia and the dog discover a stream that Zia recognizes is close to home. She starts to run, and the dog follows behind.