In 1977 at Saint Bridget’s, Mariamma spills scalding tea when she sees Elsie alive on the lawn. Overwhelmed, she flees to a canal, reflecting on the water that has bound their lives and on the revelation that the mother she mourned has lived nearby all along.

Returning, Mariamma listens as Digby describes Elsie’s daily ritual: counting steps to the lawn and the window, blessing the glass with her hands. He admits he concealed Mariamma’s visit years earlier, explaining Elsie’s choice to vanish when pregnancy and leprosy erupted amid Philipose’s addiction, fearing stigma and contagion would destroy the family.

Digby recounts rescuing Elsie after her staged drowning and bringing her to Saint Bridget’s, where he stayed to serve and to love her. He describes her grief over Philipose’s death, her art centered on the agony of surrendering her child, and his own sacrifice of never knowing his daughter.

Mariamma recognizes Elsie as the yearly beggar who visited Parambil; Digby confirms. When Mariamma questions Elsie’s injuries, Digby explains that leprosy’s nerve damage is irreversible and that Elsie repeatedly removed protections to keep making art. Though some pieces once sold anonymously, fear of discovery ended any public sharing; her unseen work now fills sheds.

They debate whether to reveal Mariamma’s presence. As Mariamma weighs family secrets meant to protect her, Elsie shuffles to the window for her noon ritual. Digby pauses, and Mariamma steps forward, placing her palms over Elsie’s on the glass, a silent bridge across years of separation.