Mormon gives us the essential information that will set up this episode. There are a number of young women gathered together in a place that appears to be unguarded. Mormon doesn’t tell us why, and perhaps he did not know.
The basics of the event suggest that there was some ritual action taking place that involved young women. Perhaps it was a rite of passage. The fact that there “was a place in Shemlon” suggests that this was a recurring event, again underscoring the ritual nature. The enactment of a ritual, such as a rite of passage, would give us the reason behind the periodic gathering, and the reason that it would appear to include women young enough to be described as daughters rather than as women.