At the Carriveau primary school, Vianne tries to teach while her students voice fears about the Germans and the war. With Paris fallen and no news of Antoine, Vianne is especially anxious because Isabelle still has not arrived from Paris, despite Julien’s call that she should be home.

Walking home with her friend Rachel and the girls, Vianne sees exhausted refugees filtering into town and worries more about Isabelle’s fate on the roads. That night at Le Jardin, Vianne cannot sleep; she distracts herself by weeding her garden until three desperate refugee women appear asking for water and food, one carrying a dead baby. The women warn, “They’re here,” and a mass of refugees surges onto Vianne’s property, taking water and stripping her land for anything edible; Vianne locks the house and clutches Sophie, terrified Isabelle could be outside among them.

Elsewhere, Isabelle reaches Le Jardin with Gaëtan Dubois, bruised and exhausted, but no one answers the door. They hide and rest beneath the backyard pergola, where Gaëtan urges Isabelle to stay safely with Vianne. Isabelle insists on fighting and asks him to take her; they seal the promise with a kiss, and Isabelle impulsively tells Gaëtan she loves him. Gaëtan’s reaction turns guarded, and he warns they are not “lucky,” hinting at harder truths to come.

In the morning, Vianne surveys the destruction: her trees, fields, and garden are ruined by the refugees’ passage. Hearing a faint cry, Vianne finds Isabelle collapsed under the pergola, battered and bloodied, with a note pinned to her clothes. Vianne brings Isabelle inside, washes her, and puts her to bed, briefly returning to the caretaker role she once tried—and failed—to play.

After Isabelle wakes and eats ravenously, Vianne produces the note: “You are not ready,” revealing Gaëtan abandoned Isabelle. Isabelle masks her hurt by declaring she will go to war anyway, while Vianne insists on safety. Their argument escalates as Maréchal Pétain’s radio address announces France will stop fighting and seek terms; Vianne accepts the surrender as necessary, but Isabelle is sickened by it and refuses to give up. The chapter ends with Isabelle bonding with Sophie, using humor to connect even as the sisters’ rift deepens.