Mavis has a normal life until her kidneys fail at age thirteen. As she lies dying, a stranger says God has a purpose for her life. When she’s a senior in high school, she has a grand mal seizure and is diagnosed with epilepsy. After graduation she’s hospitalized, overmedicated and is put in the mental ward. Finally, the epilepsy is controlled enough that she works in a day care center, sharing an apartment. Another crisis and she’s diagnosed with lupus. A roommate leads her to Christ, and then she meets Dudley and they marry. The first part ends with her pregnancy.