Bella wakes, startled by what she sees: Everything is clearer and brighter. She senses someone’s hand on her and, reflexively, she jumps up, getting into a defensive position.

Bella sees the Cullen family watching her. Edward is by her bed. Jasper and Emmett are in front of the others, ready to defend them from Bella.

Bella calms down. She asks how long she has been out, and Carlisle tells her that it has been two days. He explains that nothing has changed with the wolves and that Jacob is still downstairs.

Bella asks to see Renesmee, but Edward warns her that it’s not a good idea, as the baby is part human. Bella’s newborn hunger may overcome her. Bella realizes that Jasper is watching her closely to sense all her emotions. He admits that he is awed by the way she can control how she feels better than any newborn he has ever seen.

Alice brings a mirror into the room, insisting that Bella look at herself. She’s shocked by what she sees, unable to comprehend how beautiful she is. She looks for traces of herself in her reflection but struggles to find them. She also sees how truly beautiful Edward is.

Edward and Bella go out to hunt. They track elk, but Bella gets overwhelmed when she smells a human. She runs toward it, but she manages to calm herself down, fleeing in the opposite direction before she smells it again.

Edward is in awe when he catches up to her. He tells her that she showed more restraint than fully-grown vampires do. However, she explains that she simply did not want to kill a human. He laughs at her, insistent that she should not be capable of logic right now.

Bella tracks and kills a mountain lion. She then tracks a herd of elk with Edward. She thought she would be disgusted by the act, but instead, she finds beauty in it.

Bella tells Edward that she wants to see Renesmee. She is certain that she can control her hunger, and Edward agrees.

When Bella gets back to the Cullen house, Jacob is waiting for her outside. He insists that Bella interact with him first, to reassure everyone that she can control herself. Bella thinks of how strange it is that Jacob would risk his life for her baby. She tries to ask, but Jacob tells her that he will explain eventually. Bella manages to get close to Jacob and control herself, so they agree to let her go inside.

In the house, everyone is guarding Rosalie and Renesmee. Jasper is alert and ready. Renesmee immediately starts reaching for Bella, but everyone hesitates. Bella realizes that she has no problem controlling her hunger. She is immediately in love with Renesmee. Finally, Rosalie allows Bella to hold the baby.

Renesmee reaches out and touches Bella’s face. She has an overwhelming vision of herself, lying in the hospital bed after giving birth. Edward explains that Renesmee can show people her memories through touch, though no one knows how or why.

After several moments, Jacob steps in and tries to take Renesmee back from Bella. She grows irritated with him, annoyed at how he is acting. Suddenly, she realizes what has happened: Jacob has imprinted on Renesmee.

Bella gives Renesmee to Rosalie. She then asks everyone to stand in front of her, just in case. She then turns on Jacob. She yells at him angrily, blaming him for imprinting on her daughter. Jacob insists that he had no choice. He explains that it is not sexual but rather protective, as he has the overwhelming urge to care for her.

Jacob’s explanation does little to placate Bella, as she continues to advance toward him. When he calls Renesmee “Nessie,” Bella snaps, lunging at his throat.

Seth steps in and stops Bella, but she breaks his clavicle. Bella calms down, annoyed at herself for losing control. Bella then starts to think about her parents and how long it will be before she can see them again—if ever.

Bella is filled in on what is happening with the wolves. After Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, he went to see Sam. The wolves have a binding rule that no one can interfere with an imprinting, as it would cause immense trauma for both the wolf and the pack. Sam came to see Carlisle and reaffirmed the truce between their people to protect Jacob, the pack, and their community. Jacob and Sam have also discovered that, as Alphas, they can share thoughts with each other while in wolf form.

Bella holds Renesmee again. The baby shows Bella different memories of the past few days. When she shows her one of her drinking, Edward has Jasper restrain Bella, assuming that Bella will react to the idea of human blood, but it doesn’t even make Bella flinch.

Alice takes Edward and Bella through the forest. She and her family found an old cottage, which they fixed up as a home for Edward and Bella. Bella is awed by its simplicity and beauty and the graciousness of the gift. She thanks Alice, who leaves them to spend time alone together.

Inside, Edward and Bella explore the cottage. However, they immediately begin kissing each other, which turns into sex. Bella notes how, now that she’s changed, it’s as if she’s experiencing it for the first time all over again.

After, Bella asks Edward how long she will be overwhelmed by her desire for him. He tells her that it sometimes takes years for newborn vampires to control their urges.

The next morning, Bella and Edward return to the Cullen home. Bella notices that Renesmee has grown, but that the speed at which she’s growing seems to be slowing.

Jacob comes in, and Edward is immediately angry, reading his mind. Jacob explains that Charlie is on his way over. Edward is irate, insisting that Jacob is putting Charlie’s life in danger as well as subjecting Bella to excruciating pain.

Jacob explains that he talked to Charlie and told him about being a wolf. He transformed in front of Charlie and told him that there were things about Bella that he wouldn’t understand, but that she was alive and well. To Jacob’s surprise, Charlie insisted that he didn’t want to know any specifics, he just wanted to see Bella. Jacob also explained to Charlie that Bella and Edward have adopted a child.

Edward tells Renesmee about Charlie. He warns her that she can’t show him memories and that she needs to resist the urge to bite him. Bella is shocked that Renesmee can understand.

When Charlie gets to the Cullen house, Bella is overwhelmed by his scent and her need to feed. However, she fights it back. Charlie is relieved to see Bella, but angry at the secrets everyone is keeping. Edward tells him that he is safer knowing the “public story,” rather than the actual truth.

Charlie then sees Renesmee. He immediately recognizes Bella’s eyes in her features. He is shocked, trying to figure out when she was pregnant, but again says that he doesn’t need to know the specifics.

Charlie stays for the entire day. When he goes to leave, he holds Renesmee for the first time, and despite Bella’s nerves, there are no issues. Charlie asks if he can come back tomorrow, and Bella assures him he can come whenever he wants. He tells Bella that he loves her and always will—even with the changes.

After he’s gone, Emmett makes a joke about Bella and Edward’s sex life—which he’s been doing all day. Annoyed, Bella challenges him to an arm-wrestling competition. If she wins, he has to stop making jokes.

The two go outside, where they arm wrestle on a large boulder. As Emmett struggles to gain any ground, Bella realizes how much stronger than him she is. She beats him easily.

Bella thinks of her past life, where she was always “average” at everything. Now, she realizes she is stronger than any of them. She thinks about how she was “born to be a vampire” (524).

Over the next three months, Renesmee grows at an alarming rate. She learns to talk, walk, and even read. Carlisle estimates that she will grow “old” in just 15 years. To help, Edward and Carlisle search everywhere for information about vampire babies but come up with little. They plan a trip to Rio de Janeiro to investigate myths related to vampires.

Meanwhile, Bella plans to visit the Volturi. She has to prove to them that she has transitioned into a vampire—as they demanded the last time they visited the Cullens. She insists that she needs to go alone, despite Edward’s protests. She’s afraid of them finding out about Renesmee, and Bella’s mind is the only one that Aro—their leader—can’t read.

Bella goes hunting with Jacob and Renesmee. As they play in the forest, Bella sees a figure on a mountain in the distance. She realizes that it is Irina, one of the Denali sisters. Her mate, Laurent, was killed by a wolf. Bella raises her hand in greeting but then sees Irina spot Jacob and Renesmee. She grows angry, then flees.

Bella calls Carlisle and Edward. She explains what happened and tells them to try to follow her so they can apologize to her—as Bella assumes that she was upset at the site of Jacob.

Carlisle and Edward fail to find Irina. They call Tanya and explain what happened, apologizing to her.

Later in the day, Alice suddenly drops a vase, and it shatters. She begins to panic, telling everyone that the Volturi are coming. She sees Irina traveling to Italy in her vision, then sees the Volturi arriving in Forks as it snows—in a little over a month.

Everyone questions why the Volturi are coming. However, Bella thinks back to her dream, where she felt the need to protect the child from them. She considers what Irina saw, and the Denali clan’s family history with vampire children. She tells everyone that the Volturi are coming for Renesmee, believing she is a vampire.

Emmitt suggests that they gather the other vampires to stand with them against the Volturi. They will fight if need be, but more importantly, they want to instill enough uncertainty in the Volturi to make them hesitate before attacking. With that time, he hopes they can show them the truth about Renesmee and get them to back down.

Alice struggles with seeing the future. She insists that she needs to go somewhere else, as Jacob arrives. She tells her family to work on gathering the other vampires, then leaves with Jasper.