 The novel is divided into three parts, which follow the narrator Kiyo as he grows up in the sugarcane plantations in Hawaii.In the first section, "I'll Crack Your Head Kotsun", Kiyo befriends an older boy whose mother is a prostitute for the camps; Kiyo is confused by his parents' resistance to their friendship.In the second section, "The Substitute", Kiyo explores the various spiritual belief systems of the people around him.