- The doctor declines to treat Kino’s child, Coyotito, of the scorpion sting because he has no money (has only small worthless pearls).
- The pearl buyers are out to take advantage of Kino and his pearl. Their goal is to cheat him and ruin his plans of happiness and peace for his family.
- The doctor comes to take advantage of Kino’s ignorance by making Coyotito sick and pretending that his illness is the result of the scorpion sting. He pretends as if he does not know of Kino’s pearl, yet the only reason he has come to treat Coyotito was to tr yand seek out where Kino might be hiding it.
- Kino is attacked several times as the attackers want to rob him of the pearl of the world. - The pearl turns Juana and Kino against one another. At the beginning of the story, they are very close but the pearl divides them. Kino attacks and injures his wife when she wants to throw it into the sea.
- Kino is forced to kill a man to defend himself and the pearl.
- His hut is burned after someone searching for the pearl has ransacked it.
- Trackers follow Kino and his family and they have to hide in the mountain. Finally, Kino’s child is shot.