Ammaron instructs Mormon concerning sacred records; war commences; wickedness and unbelief prevail.

Mormon, at age ten, is instructed by Ammaron to retrieve sacred records when he is twenty-four. At eleven, Mormon's family moves to Zarahemla, a land filled with people. War erupts between the Nephites and Lamanites, with the Nephites initially prevailing. However, widespread wickedness leads to the withdrawal of the Lord's disciples and spiritual gifts, and Mormon, though visited by the Lord at fifteen, is forbidden to preach due to the people's hardened hearts. The land becomes cursed, and sorceries and witchcraft prevail.