According to the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi and his family left Jerusalem and travelled "in the wilderness" for a number of years before building a boat and sailing to "the promised land".
Following Lehi's death, his older sons, Laman and Lemuel, rebelled against their younger brother Nephi, who had been appointed by their father as their leader.
Rather than attempting to take the land from the Lamanites by force, Zeniff sought to establish peaceful relations by treaty.
Grant Hardy says: The account of King Noah's reign emphasizes his failure to obey God's commandments.
Noah "did not walk in the ways of his father" (Mosiah 11:2), but lived a sinful, idle life surrounded by cronies, including a group of corrupt priests, all supported by heavy taxes on his people.
Alma began to preach Abinadi's message to the people of King Noah and attracted about 450 believers (Mosiah 18:35).
They were ultimately rescued by a group of Nephites from Zarahemla, led by Ammon (not to be confused with King Mosiah's son of the same name).
The fate of the people led away by Alma at the time of Abinadi's prophesying is told in the next two chapters of the Book of Mosiah.
(They are also captured by the Lamanites but miraculously escape and join the Nephites in Zarahemla, where Alma plays a significant role in the development of the church.)