Before Misty leaves for senior prom, Franklin Meyer invites Patch onto the terrace, pours brandy, and speaks to him in a calm, formal way. Franklin asks about the prom and Patch's mine work, then shifts to what he really wants to discuss: Misty's future. The setting is luxurious and controlled, underscoring the gap between Franklin's world and Patch's.

Franklin tells Patch that Misty is everything to her parents and reminds him that she will soon leave for Harvard. He acknowledges the romance between Patch and Misty and even admits that it has a kind of destiny to it, but Franklin does not treat that as enough. Patch answers that Misty is the strong one and suggests that her feelings may partly come from obligation because he saved her.

Franklin then makes his position plain. He says parents must want more for their children than a reflection of themselves, and he believes Misty is meant to claim a larger life than the one Patch can offer. Patch already understands where the conversation is heading, and Franklin confirms it by saying that talking to Misty is no longer enough. Franklin says Misty dodged one bullet the morning she was attacked and that he is trying to help her dodge another, then places a check on the table and tells Patch that he will always be grateful to him but cannot give him his daughter.

After Franklin leaves, Patch stands inside as Misty comes down the grand staircase for prom. She looks radiant in a yellow gown, and the photographer's flash captures the moment as she takes Patch's hand and beams at him. Her happiness and complete love make the scene more painful, because Patch sees clearly that their lives do not fit together and that the separation Franklin wants is already bearing down on them.