At Marisol Torres’s B and B, Roman Kitt fails to appear for the eight o’clock breakfast, prompting concern. Iris Winnow checks his locked, silent room, and Marisol considers drastic measures, until Roman bursts in from the back doors, apologizing and explaining he was out on a morning run. Marisol asks him to avoid running in the dark due to hound sirens, and Roman agrees, winking at Iris, which flusters her.

Later that night, as Iris attempts to write a letter to her anonymous correspondent Carver, Roman knocks on her door. He teases that she might be writing to someone, then invites her to run with him at first light. Iris initially demurs and closes the door, then abandons her half-written letter, deciding to wait for Carver to write first.

Before dawn, Iris hears Roman leave and decides to join him to improve her fitness before any summons to the front. She meets him in the garden, and they set out into the quiet streets as the sky brightens. Roman clarifies he plans consistent daily runs and sets a beginner interval plan of one minute running, two minutes walking.

As they train, Roman offers light coaching and banter, while Iris struggles, especially on a steep hill. Roman runs backward to encourage her and urges deeper breathing. Despite her fatigue and irritation, Iris persists to the hilltop.

At the crest, they share a calm moment taking in a beautiful sunrise over fog-laced valleys and glittering dew, a view Iris realizes she had never noticed. The pause softens the competitive edge between them and hints at growing closeness.

Roman then checks his watch and realizes they are nearly late. They hurry back downhill, arriving seven minutes after eight, cementing the chapter’s title and returning the scene to the breakfast stakes.