Manjiro Timeline and Summary

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• Manjiro and friends are lost at sea and then get stranded on a deserted island.
• They stay on the island for a while until Manjiro spies a ship and finagles the rescue of himself and his friends.
• While on the John Howland, Manjiro strikes up a friendship with the captain and gains an enemy with the harpooner Jolly.
• He also learns how to work a ship and speak English, unlike his Japanese buddies.
• When they land in Honolulu, the captain offers to take Manjiro back to America as his son.
• Manjiro decides to leave his pals behind and go with the captain to his home in Connecticut.
• A couple of years later, they land in Connecticut, where the captain makes a new home for them on a farm.
• Manjiro goes to school and also makes a couple of solid (white) guy pals.
• He also gains another enemy in the class bully, Tom.
• Oh and by the way, he falls for his first girl.
• Things are going great—he even manages to win over his bully—until the captain leaves for the sea.
• Manjiro is left behind with Mrs. Whitfield and his new baby brother, William Henry.
• That's cool, but what's not cool is his new apprenticeship with the cooper, Mr. Hussey.
• Manjiro doesn't really learn anything with Mr. Hussey; he just gets sick a lot and so he returns to the Whitfield home instead.
• Another job offer comes up: One of his old pals from the John Howland is about to become a captain of a new ship, the Franklin, and wants Manjiro to become a steward. Plus, he offers Manjiro an offer to return to Japan.
• Manjiro takes the offer, but life at sea is terrible because there are no whales and his friend the captain ends up being a total tyrant.
• Manjiro almost gets to Japan, but the Japanese boats he sees turn away from him.
• Captain Davis prevents Manjiro from trying to get to Japan again, despite his earlier promises, so Manjiro confronts Davis and winds up triggering a mutiny against him.
• The Franklin makes it back to Connecticut, where Manjiro hangs out for a little while until Terry convinces him to go with him to San Francisco (it's the Gold Rush).
• Manjiro strikes gold and finances his trip to pick up his Japanese friends and return to Japan.
• But Manjiro and his friends get imprisoned and tortured for returning to Japan.
• Finally they're freed and Manjiro gets to go home to his family.
• Then a messenger from a daimyo comes with an order for Manjiro to see the daimyo.
• Manjiro doesn't know what will happen, but he's hopeful that he won't be imprisoned again and that instead he'll be made into a samurai.
• Which is exactly what happens in the end (or—more accurately—the Epilogue).