Dominic reflects on the eight years since he brought his children to Shearwater Island. He describes the island as beautiful but haunted by the long history of sealing and whaling, and he remembers how Orly began hearing the voices of the slaughtered animals. Dominic also explains the practical isolation of the island and realizes that the injured woman could only have survived if she came from a boat that was somehow heading toward Shearwater.

In the morning, Dominic and Raff inspect the storm damage. They find that both wind turbines have been destroyed, the solar cells are damaged, the battery shed roof has been torn off, and much of their stored power is lost. The research base at the island's narrow center is also partly surrounded by seawater at an unprecedented high tide, which alarms Dominic even though he hides that fear from Raff. Back at the lighthouse, Dominic cuts power use to essentials and decides to hike south to check on the seed vault.

Before leaving, Dominic visits the unconscious woman and finds Orly reading beside her bed. Orly is deeply invested in her survival, but Dominic warns him not to become too attached because she may still die. Dominic then sets out alone, thinking about how the global seed vault came to matter to him over time, especially through Orly's fascination with seeds, and about how the vault and the island are now both nearing the end of their purpose because the operation is being shut down.

At the seed vault, Dominic immediately discovers a new crisis. Water has entered the access tunnel, and although the sealed storage chamber is still dry, the cooling system has failed and the temperature is already rising. Dominic recognizes that the official priority would be to protect the seeds over human comfort, but he admits to himself that if forced to choose, he would save his children rather than preserve the collection. He installs a pump in the tunnel and checks the aisles before leaving the vault, still unsettled by the place.

As evening comes, Dominic continues on to the southern field huts, breaking the usual rule against traveling alone because he does not want his children to see what is there. He enters the blue hut, dreading it, and is hit by a terrible smell. Carrying cleaning supplies, he goes inside and begins scrubbing old blood from the kitchen floor, revealing that the hut holds some hidden, violent history Dominic has been avoiding.