Margaret reflects that her mother Bernie primarily wanted to make art, while her father Freddy wanted to be Bernie’s husband; they could not compromise until after they split. She recalls Rosalind Ives trying to keep them together and steering the family to a last hopeful weekend at the Nicollet to remind them what they would lose. The getaway felt blissful, but immediately after returning, Bernie and Freddy told Margaret and Laura that Bernie would move out. Bernie later confided she left while she still loved Freddy, believing it was for the family, though it broke her heart.

Margaret considers how love forces sacrifice, linking earlier family sacrifices: Lawrence leaving his sister Nicollet, Gerald giving up Nina to raise Ruth, and Rosalind accepting Gerald’s secret. She asserts Rosalind knew Ruth was Gerald and Nina’s daughter and loved Ruth regardless. The divorce was highly publicized, worsened by Freddy’s renewed public womanizing; both parents grew distant, leaving Margaret and Laura lonely.

A thaw began when Bernie released a film; Freddy, who had never missed her openings, attended alone, unable to stop being her fan. He sent daisies the next day, leading to a phone call, then regular talks and occasional walks. Bernie began coming to dinners and holidays, restoring a measure of family happiness, though the marriage remained over.

Margaret confirms Bernie married Roy when Margaret was fifteen; Freddy married Linda a year later, then later Carol for about six years, relationships Margaret describes as cordial but distant in the large household that also often included Great-Aunt Gigi’s beaux. Margaret and Laura loved Roy because he let them be a family and could “share” Bernie in ways Freddy could not.

After Freddy died of liver failure and Roy later of heart disease, Bernie buried Roy in the family cemetery. After Roy’s funeral, Margaret witnessed Bernie break down at Freddy’s headstone, crying, “Why couldn’t it have been you? Why couldn’t you be who you were supposed to be?” Margaret interprets this as Bernie’s grief that Freddy remained too small for her; he lived in a world centered on himself and did not remake it to fit her needs.

Shifting to the present, Alice and Hayden drive to visit Alice’s mother. Alice is withdrawn, wrestling with Margaret’s honesty and the idea that truth may be an integration of all perspectives rather than a filtered compromise. She worries about her professional purpose and her mother’s unspoken judgments.

Hayden encourages Alice, arguing that the creative process has value beyond acclaim and permanence beyond fame. They discuss parental pride and the pressure of accomplishments. Alice assures him her mother will be excited to host.

They arrive at Alice’s modest, lovingly maintained rural home. Angela Scott greets them warmly, immediately hugging Hayden and chatting about her garden’s bounty. Inside, Alice notes the lived-in details of her childhood house. Angela sends Alice to settle Hayden into a room before dinner, and Alice shows him around as he observes a Polaroid of her parents and remarks that she must miss the place.