In 1908 at Parambil, Big Ammachi’s life is transformed by the birth of her daughter, “Baby Mol.” Dolly Kochamma moves in to help with chores and JoJo, while Big Ammachi’s mother takes over the kitchen. Big Ammachi adjusts to nursing, confinement, and the intimate routine of caring for the infant, even as she remembers the closeness she once shared with JoJo.

JoJo, jealous of the attention given to Baby Mol, stages a mock escape to Dolly Kochamma’s house but returns when he hears Big Ammachi misses him. Family rhythms resume: her husband visits nightly to hold the baby and teasingly praise Big Ammachi’s cooking, while she heals from childbirth and postpones intimacy, mindful of the dangers women face in labor.

News arrives that Georgie’s twin, Ranjan, has returned with his family under strained circumstances, led by his stern wife, “Decency Kochamma.” The twins visit their uncle; afterward, Big Ammachi learns her husband has deeded Ranjan a small sloped plot. The brothers plan a joint house using Ranjan’s savings alongside Georgie’s land and well, a scheme that worries Big Ammachi for Dolly but offers hope of stability.

As the children play after two days of rain, JoJo, who avoids water but excels in tree acrobatics, attempts a vine swing. His hands slip on the wet vine, and he crashes forward into a shallow drainage ditch. Toddlers misread his stillness as play and leave; only when Big Ammachi is alerted does she sprint out, drag him from the water, and cry for help.

Her husband, Shamuel, Georgie, and Ranjan try in vain to revive JoJo: compressions, clearing mud, suspending him, and mouth-to-mouth. Big Ammachi, torn between the wailing infant and her dying son, briefly returns to feed Baby Mol, then comes back to find JoJo lifeless on the verandah bench. The family’s efforts fail; her husband collapses in silent grief, and Big Ammachi’s lament marks the household’s shattering loss.