Before dawn in Mahabalipuram, Mariamma lies awake while Lenin sleeps, burdened by his account of Wayanad and his resolve to continue armed struggle. She anticipates he will seek training and arms in Vizag and mourns that he must live on the run, likely to die or be captured.

Watching Lenin, Mariamma recognizes she has always loved him despite kinship taboos and fears about the Condition. When Lenin wakes, their shared tenderness turns to a first kiss, and they make love, briefly suspending the world and its dangers.

In the late morning, Mariamma voices dread of losing him and the impossibility of correspondence or ordinary life. Seeking a way to be together, Lenin proposes marriage and that she join the movement.

His proposal triggers Mariamma’s fierce refusal: she has devoted herself to medicine to heal, not harm, and dreams of someday addressing the Condition. She condemns his violent path, urges nonviolent avenues of change, and lashes out by comparing him to his father, then regrets the cruelty.

Everyday sounds outside underscore what they cannot have. They exchange apologies and forgiveness. Mariamma reaffirms her vocation and declines to join Lenin, while Lenin admits it is too late for him to turn back. They accept a sorrowful divide despite their love.