With the supply ship now likely only about two weeks away, Rowan feels the household moving through its remaining days as if toward a funeral rather than a rescue. Dominic and Fen still are not speaking, and Rowan is painfully aware that leaving Shearwater may separate all of them for good. In response, Rowan decides to force a moment of life and connection by preparing a lavish dinner party.

While the others rest upstairs, Rowan cooks an extravagant meal from the island's stores. Before dinner, Rowan shaves her own hair and then shaves Fen's at Fen's request because Fen wants to feel lighter. As Rowan cuts, Rowan urges Fen to move back to the lighthouse and suggests that Fen is afraid Dominic sees damage in her, rather than actually knowing that he does. When Fen sees her finished haircut, Fen is startled and then deeply moved, hugging Rowan.

At dinner, Rowan reveals a candlelit feast of roast chicken, vegetables, pasta, bread, cheesecake, brownies, wine, and homemade lemonade for Orly. The family is amazed, and Rowan insists on ignoring the rationing for one night, even when Dominic protests the waste. They eat until they are full, and the atmosphere softens; although Dominic and Fen still do not speak directly, the strain between them eases. Afterward, while they talk about long hot showers and joke together, Orly, Fen, and Raff tell Rowan they want to help replant Rowan's snow gums and rebuild Rowan's home on the mainland, a gesture that moves Rowan while also reminding Rowan of the promises and obligations waiting beyond the island.

Instead of cleaning up, Rowan brings everyone outside into the cold night and hands Raff his violin. As Raff plays, the whole family dances wildly on the hill, including Dominic. Rowan watches Dominic lift Orly onto his shoulders, sees Raff and Fen laughing together, and witnesses a crucial moment when Dominic and Fen meet face-to-face, hesitate, and then reconnect physically as Dominic takes Fen's hand, spins her, and dips her, making Fen laugh. Rowan holds onto the scene as a rare, fleeting instance of joy and love in a world Rowan believes is otherwise dangerous and doomed, imagining even the island's ghosts joining the dance.