The news that Kino has found an immense pearl travels swiftly through the town of La Paz. He finds a very large oyster which yields an immense pearl, and which he dubs 'The Pearl of the World'. Kino dives for oysters from his canoe, hoping to find a pearl he can sell to pay the doctor. Kino and Juana take Coyotito down near the sea, where Juana uses a seaweed poultice on Coyotito's shoulder, which is now swollen. Juana and Kino, accompanied by their neighbors, go to see the local doctor, who refuses to treat Coyotito because Kino cannot pay enough to sustain the greedy doctor's lifestyle, and because the doctor holds racist views towards the poor Amerindians. Although Kino kills the scorpion, it stings Coyotito.
Kino attempts to catch the scorpion, but Coyotito bumps the rope, and the scorpion falls onto him. Kino watches as Coyotito sleeps, but sees a scorpion crawl down the rope that holds the hanging box where Coyotito sleeps. The Pearl, which takes place in La Paz, Baja California Sur, begins with a description of the seemingly ideal family life of the poor pearl fisherman Kino, his wife Juana, and their infant son, Coyotito.
