The first chapter takes the form of a journal entry that appears to be handwritten in a dirty, lined notebook. The journal entries are numbered 1-33 and are written in poetic free verse. Each entry has a biblical tone to it, as they describe the life of a messiah, called “the Master,” born in Indiana. Although the entries describe an ordinary American mechanic, the writer also claims that “the Master had learning from other lands and other schools, from other lives that he lived” (2). This implies that there are mystical or otherwise unknown aspects about the character.

People come from all around to listen to the Master. Eventually, he is let go from his job as a mechanic because the crowds swarm the mechanic’s shop to get to him. The Master leaves to speak in the countryside, and people begin to call him a messiah. The messiah explains that it is really people who control the intangible world, not the other way around. The Master tries to explain to the people that he is not gifted, and all people have the power to be a messiah. He uses a story of a bottom-dwelling village in a river to explain the painful journey of letting go, assumptions, and perceived limitations.