In the Preface, the narrator notes that three years have passed since the events of the story occurred. Storytelling is a favorite pastime of many sailors, he explains, so he will strive to tell his story in this way. Although he admits that his knowledge of Polynesian history and culture is limited and he does not speak any Polynesian language, he assures readers that he is presenting the “unvarnished” truth about his experiences. Some of them may seem strange, he notes, and some of the story may not paint Christian missionaries in a good light, but the narrator trusts readers to make up their own minds about what happened.

The narrator works on a whaling ship named the Dolly, which spends six months “out of sight of land” (3). Onboard, the men are rapidly running out of food. All that remains is a single chicken. As the crews crave any sight of land, Captain Vangs charts a court for the Marquesas Islands. The captain hopes to reach these islands in a week. Europeans have reached many of the islands in the South Pacific, but the Marquesas are relatively unknown to Europeans at this time. Christian missionaries, known for their zealotry and willingness to go anywhere, have also avoided the Marquesas.