Spring arrives with rain melting the snow, but Marguerite, deep in grief, refuses food and feels tormented by the season's beauty. Damienne urges her to eat, invoking Dido's sin of self-destruction, and offers Auguste's New Testament. Marguerite refuses bitterly, declaring God has abandoned her by failing to save Auguste and their child.

That night, Marguerite discovers Damienne weeping because she herself cannot read scripture. Ashamed at her selfishness, Marguerite agrees to read together. Damienne ceremoniously washes and grooms her, and Marguerite reads the parable of the prodigal son. Though she comforts Damienne, Marguerite remains unrepentant, convinced of God's indifference and the Virgin's silence.

As summer arrives, Marguerite cannot bring herself to hunt or stockpile, lacking hope. While fishing one calm day, she spots three ships approaching: the Anne, the Lèchefraye, and the Valentine—Roberval's own returning fleet. She and Damienne light a signal fire, fire the arquebus, and shout, but the ships drift away. Marguerite realizes her guardian has deliberately ignored them, sailing home after abandoning her to claim her property.

Cursing Roberval, Marguerite collapses in despair, then sees herself as small and foolish before God. She and Damienne accept they will likely die on the island, but Marguerite declares she would rather die there than ever board Roberval's ship again. Moved by Damienne's quiet courage and resignation, Marguerite resolves to live as atonement for bringing her nurse here. Recalling Auguste's charge to work, hunt, and try to live, she rises, puts out the signal fire, and prepares to hunt alone—now the provider for the woman who once cared for her.