Hawaii

Newly married to Abner Hale, Jerusha travels to Maui to aid the mission. She is compassionate, proactive, and resilient, helping locals, rescuing an infant, and bearing and raising Micah while navigating the island’s upheavals.

A newly ordained Reverend who marries Jerusha and leads the Maui mission. His idealism is tested as he confronts limits of authority and, years later, learns he will never be ordained because he is not white, shifting his role toward deacon and mentor to native communities.

A jealous whaler who Belongs to Jerusha’s past and travels with the crew, returning to the island and threatening Abner after discovering Jerusha’s marriage. His actions catalyze conflict between settlers and Hawaiians.

Hawaiian royal and ally of the mission who grows into a pivotal figure for native leadership. He resists early conversion but remains central to the island’s evolving power dynamic.

Keoki’s father and Malama Kanakoa’s husband, representing royal tradition and the complex family loyalties that frame the political landscape.

The ruling matriarch who engages with Christianity while safeguarding her people’s customs. She wavers between conversion and autonomy, ultimately dying after a life of political and spiritual tension.

The new Ali'i Nui who marries Keoki, symbolizing the island’s transition as traditional leadership meets new religious and social orders.

The infant Jerusha saves from drowning, who grows up as part of the Hale household and becomes a symbol of the long-term impact of the mission on Hawaiian families.

A preteen in the continuing story of mission life, witnessing the changes and tensions on the island as generations pass.

The grown Micah, the disfigured infant Jerusha saved long ago, who returns as a young man to become a possible assistant to Abner, completing a circle of fate.

A young Hawaiian girl baptized by Abner Hale, representing the mission’s reach into native communities and the personal cost of conversion for the island.

Abner’s ally within the mission’s social network, reflecting the broader community of Hawaiians and missionaries who share in the island’s struggles.