It is 1934 and a couple of years have passed since Kiyo spent the summer playing with Makot. Kiyo’s father is not bringing in much money as a fisherman, so Kiyo’s mother makes handmade kimonos in their home. In the early part of the year, Kiyo’s mother becomes ill, and the domestic duties fall on Kiyo. While his mother is in the hospital, Kiyo comes home and cooks for his three younger sisters. 

While sitting with his mother in her hospital room, she tells Kiyo of the family’s debt. She explains how she left Japan to marry Kiyo’s father and how the two of them worked for years to clear her father-in-law’s debt. Even though her mother-in-law treated her badly, Kiyo’s mother never complained. 

The one person who had treated Kiyo’s mother well was Obaban. She is the aunt of Kiyo’s father, and she is the “black sheep” (17) of the family. Obaban had eloped during the mourning period of her father. When she was disowned, she and her husband left Japan for a new start in Hawaii and ended up settling in Kahana. Eventually, her brother, looking for his own fresh start, joined her in Hawaii.