Lesley drives Willie, Robert, and Gerald along the coastal road to Istana, the white mansion of Noel, who is hosting a lavish party in Willie's honor. Willie observes Lesley closely, suspecting she once had an affair with the Chinese revolutionary they had discussed. The grand house disappoints him with its English country-house feel, but the sea view and the gathered crowd of nearly a hundred guests impress.

At the party, Willie endures admirers praising his books and tutting over 'Rain.' Wearied, he slips into the library and from the window spots Lesley standing transfixed as an elderly Chinese man descends the garden steps. Lesley follows him down. Willie eventually escapes the party and finds Lesley alone on a wooden deck overlooking the sea.

Lesley asks Willie to inscribe a copy of The Trembling of a Leaf with 'Welcome home' for the old Chinaman's son, who left Penang years ago to fight for Sun Yat Sen. She tells Willie he resembles this man in build, fastidiousness, and bearing, and notes both were doctors. Willie begins to sense the depth of her attachment to the revolutionary and understands her refusal to leave the island.

Willie shares his fantasy of a seaside villa where he could write and grow old. When Lesley asks why he doesn't simply buy one, given his wealth, his smile fades, hinting at his hidden financial ruin. He confides an old anecdote about vowing, after a successful lunch, to abandon novels for plays — though stories kept calling him back. He shows her a ruby-studded cigarette case from the Rani Brooke, secretly wondering what it might fetch at auction.

Their conversation turns to storytelling. Willie insists every memorable story is ultimately about love. Lesley suggests perhaps James Brooke had loved someone in secret, lamenting how such a love would be obliterated upon death. Her melancholy strikes Willie, who silently wonders whether anyone will ever know what Gerald means to him. Lesley gently accuses him of writing harshly about marriages; he replies he is the last to judge anyone. They watch the sunset together in silence.