During Stars on Ice, Katarina and Heath create their sensual "Wicked Game" program themselves, and its early onstage kiss grows out of real desire. As the tour continues, audiences begin to expect the kiss at every show, so Katarina and Heath keep giving them the moment people want. By the final matinee in Portland, Maine, however, the kiss feels like empty choreography, and Katarina realizes their sex life has also become mechanical and drained of feeling.

After the final performance, Katarina feels only relief that the tour is over, but she and Heath still have another public obligation: a Team USA fundraising gala in New York City. The glamorous event is filled with donors, skaters, and Olympic officials, underscoring that even before Vancouver qualification is decided, image-making and political performance already matter. Katarina and Heath arrive late and move through the room carefully, presenting themselves as happy champions and answering repeated questions about their engagement with polished, rehearsed lines.

The gala also highlights the power structures around them. The Lins sit with major Olympic and skating figures, including Frannie Gaskell and her influential mother, and Katarina notices Ellis Dean standing apart in an attention-grabbing outfit. When guests pressure Katarina and Heath to dance, the string quartet begins playing "Wicked Game," effectively turning them into performers again. Although Katarina resents being put on display, dancing a tango with Heath without fixed choreography briefly feels soothing and intimate, and she wants to surrender to the moment.

That mood breaks when Katarina sees Ellis talking to a man in a gray suit who seems strangely familiar. As Katarina keeps watching, the man turns toward her, and she suddenly recognizes him. Shocked, Katarina tells Heath that her brother is there, ending the chapter on a jarring personal revelation that interrupts the polished public facade of the evening.