Toward evening, the local priest visits Kino to bless him in his good fortune, but he really wanted remind Kino to donate to the church. Shortly after, the doctor arrives, explaining that he was out in the morning but has come now to cure Coyotito. He gave Coyotito powder from a capsule and promises to return in an hour, saying that Coyotito's condition will get worse. Coyotito decides to bury his pear under the floor in a corner of their house. Surely enough, within the hour, Coyotito's becomes very ill. When the doctor returns, he feeds the baby and Coyotito seems to get better again.
Before going to bed, Kino buries the pearl under a stone in his fire hole. That night, an intruder arouses him in his house. In an effort to chase away the intruder, Kino ends up with a gash on his forehead. Juana told Kino that she believe the pearl was pure evil.
The next morning, Kino and Juana make their way to town to sell the pearl. Juan Tomás, Kino's brother, tells Kino to be aware of cheats. All of the dealers bid low on the pearl. Kino refuses to accept their offers and decides to take his pearls to the capital. That evening, as they prepare to leave, Juan Tomás cautions Kino again.
In the middle of the night, Juana steals the pearl. Kino wakes as she leaves and follows her, catching her just as she is going to throw the pearl into the sea. He tackles her, takes the pearl back, and beats her violently, leaving her injured on the beach. As he returns to the brush house, a group of hostile men confront him and try to take the pearl from him. He fights them off, killing one and causing the rest to flee, but he drops the pearl in the process.
As Juana ascends from the shore to the brush house, she finds the pearl lying in the path. Just beyond, she sees Kino on the ground, next to the dead man. He cries for the loss of the pearl, however Juana found the pearl and gave it back to Kino. They agree that they need to flee the town at once. Kino rushes to the shore to prepare the canoe, while Juana returns home to gather Coyotito and their belongings.
Kino arrives at the shore and finds his canoe destroyed. Kino sees a fire blazing and realizes that his house has burned down. Desperate to find refuge, Kino, Juana and Coyotito duck into Juan Tomás' house, where they hide out for the day. The other neighbors beside Juan Tomás believe that Kino and his family died in the fire. Juan Tomás and his wife agree to provide shelter for them and act is if they do not know where Kino and his family are.
At nightfall, Kino, Juana, and Coyotito set out for the capital, travelling north until sunrise, and then take covert shelter. They sleep for most of the day, but Kino discovers that three trackers are following them. Kino decides that they must hurry up the mountain, in hopes of escaping the trackers. Kino attempts to mislead the trackers by creating a false trail up the mountain. Then Kino, Juana and Coyotito hide in the cave and wait for an opportunity to escape back down the mountain.
The trackers are slow getting up the mountain because of their horse. They finally arrive at the watering hole at dusk. They make camp, and two of the trackers sleep while the third stands watch. Kino decides that he must attempt to attack them before the moon rises. He strips naked to avoid being seen, and sneaks up to striking distance. Just as he prepares to attack, Coyotito lets out a cry, waking the sleepers. When one of them fires, Kino attacks the trackers and Kills them. Kino slowly realizes that the tracker's shot killed his son in the cave.
The next day, Kino and Juana make their way back through town and through the brush houses. Juana carries her dead son over her shoulder. They walk all the way to the sea. At the shore, Kino pulls the pearl out from his clothing and takes one last look at it. Then, he flings the pearl back into the sea. The pearl had destroyed Kino's son and Kino's way of life.
