The chapter is set on March 20, 1960, in Henley-on-Thames, with characters Aiden Davies, Hazel, and Imogene Mulroney at the center of the events.
Hazel insists on being present for the confrontation with Imogene even though Aiden thinks it's unsafe and would have preferred she stayed away.
They arrive at a deserted-looking house, greeted by a woman named Dot Bellamy who reveals Imogene went to tell her daughter, Iris, about the situation and isn't home.
Dot appears disheveled and distressed, her professional demeanor from the previous day greatly diminished.
Aiden assumes Imogene's desire to talk to her daughter is a stall tactic and insists on waiting only 15 minutes before taking action.
Hazel and Dot have a personal conversation on a bench, where Dot grapples with conflicted feelings toward her family.
During their talk, Dot realizes that her own past as an evacuee child was not what she has been led to believe.
After the 15-minute wait, Aiden prepares to go to Iris's house and gets the address from Hazel.
News from Aiden suggests Imogene may have fled the scene, but Dot is in disbelief, adamant that Imogene just wanted to tell Iris the truth.
Hazel suspects Imogene has run away, and very soon, Aiden's anger hints at this possibility being real.
Imogene's confrontation with Hazel and Aiden reveals a complex story claiming she saved Dot from drowning and justifies her actions based on Hazel's mother's choices during the war.
Hazel and Imogene engage in a heated exchange, with Imogene maintaining a belief that she acted righteously by "saving" Dot and giving her to another family.
Amidst Imogene's self-justification, key information about Hazel's and Dot's shared past emerges, including Hazel briefly leaving Dot alone with Harry, which may have led to Dot's river accident.
Aiden arrests Imogene for kidnapping, dismissing her claims of having saved Dot as delusional self-righteousness.
With Imogene taken away by the police, Dot is left reeling from the revelations, struggling to reconcile her love for Imogene with the new truths about her past.
At the conclusion of the chapter, Hazel persuades Dot to accompany her to Binsey to see Bridie in an attempt to confront and possibly reconcile with their shared family history.