In 1936, in Saint Bridget's, Rune travels up a mountain road to visit a family who have become like his own; a family in which the mother, Leelamma, died five months prior after contracting typhoid. This left the family's two children devastated, and Rune promises to check on them regularly.
Rune lives in a small bungalow on the edge of Saint Bridget's property, separate from the leprosy treatment center so friends can visit. The property is largely self-sufficient with essentials provided by a garden, an orchard, poultry, and a small dairy.
The residents of Saint Bridget's also make plum wine which is very popular, especially after a patron named Chandy began buying and reselling it by the case. Rune brings four cases of the wine when he visits the family after Leelamma's death.
At Chandy's home, Rune is told he has an urgent message from friends named Lena and Franz Mylin. Rune enjoys the evening sky before turning in for bed.
The next day, after spending time with the children and playing bridge, Rune heads to see the Mylins. On the way there, he spots an unusual sight: a bandaged man dressed in a lungi rapidly walking towards the estate.
At the Mylins’, Lena tells Rune they have been sheltering a surgeon who once helped them, in their guest cottage. This man is, in fact, the individual Rune saw on his way to the house.
Rune goes to the guest cottage with a bottle of wine, and meets with the surgeon, whose hands are severely damaged. Rune feels a deep connection with the man, comparing their shared struggle to two soldiers in battle.
The hand injury is severe, with the right hand damaged more significantly than the left as a result of attempts at self-treatment. There are also scars from burns on his ears, cheeks, palm, and at the corner of his mouth.
Rune assures the man, Digby, that his left hand can be treated so that it will function again, but the right will be more difficult. He suggests a technique used on a man named Cowasjee in the 18th century, who after being disfigured in war, had a new nose reconstructed by Indian bricklayers using a piece of skin from his forehead.
Rune invites Digby to come to Saint Bridget’s for treatment, but makes his agreement to help contingent upon whether Digby enjoys their plum wine.