As the monsoon begins, Baby Mol is unusually unsettled, worrying the household. A brief clearing draws villagers to Parambil on various errands. Suddenly, Elsie’s scream summons Philipose, who looks out to see Ninan impaled on an amputated branch of the plavu. Philipose climbs in panic, and with Shamuel’s help they free the child, but Ninan is lifeless.

Philipose leaps down, shattering both ankles, then staggers down the road clutching his son, refusing the truth until the men of Parambil gently stop him. Shamuel covers Ninan with his thorthu and bears the boy back, the community moving as one through rain and grief. After the burial, Philipose watches the empty view where the plavu stood.

Without being asked, Shamuel, joined by Joppan and others, hacks down the stump and digs out every root, erasing the tree. Later, Shamuel reports a torn piece of Ninan’s shirt caught high above, suggesting the fall that impaled him. Philipose blames himself for not preventing the climb and for his indecision about the tree.

Grief curdles into recrimination. Philipose’s anger fixes on Elsie’s long-standing wish to remove the plavu, while Elsie’s hardened gaze reflects blame and rage of her own. Seeing the stump gone too late to matter, she looks through Philipose, gathers a few belongings, and says, “Let’s go,” leaving their marriage in peril.