Coyote calls a cab that drops her and Salvador off at the thrift store. They sneak around to the back, where Coyote climbs onto a dumpster and breaks through a small window to enter the store. However, she lands head-first and breaks her arm when she collides with a desk inside. She then opens the door to let Salvador in. This triggers an alarm, but Coyote is desperate to find the book, so she starts looking while Salvador hides nearby. Moments later, the police and store owner arrive to find Coyote. She explains what she is doing there, and when she tells them that the book belonged to her deceased mother, the owner and police officer reluctantly attempt to help her search for it. After examining the shelves and an extra box, Coyote still doesn’t find the book. She is discouraged that her story doesn’t have a happy ending. The police officer calls Rodeo but agrees not to tell him about the lost book. Rodeo shows up, angry and disappointed, and his frustration doubles when Coyote announces that she also broke her arm.

At the hospital, Coyote gets a cast put on her arm, but she notices that Rodeo is not in the mood to talk to her or hear her side of the story. He sits silently and drives, and Coyote sits silently and fumes about everything that has been bothering her. She dwells on her father’s decision to hide the ashes and on Salvador’s popularity at school, and she is furious that her sisters and mother died and left her to deal with life without them. Coyote decides to take her anger out on Candace, so she accuses the woman of invading this trip, which was dedicated to Coyote’s mother. Candace looks hurt but decides to leave; they drop her and her dog off at a nearby train station. Coyote feels guilty as she walks Candace walk away and sees her father looking defeated and small. She looks at the memory box that she and her sisters made and is reminded of how deeply her family values kindness. Salvador can see that Coyote is feeing discouraged, so he suggests that they head up to the roof of the bus, as this pastime helped him to feel better on their first trip together last year.

Coyote and Salvador head up to the roof, which is known as “the Attic,” and lie down facing the front of the bus. They hold onto a makeshift railing that Rodeo devised for this very purpose, and Coyote bangs on the hood to signal they’re ready to go. They ride along the road, and Coyote admits to feeling that she has ruined everything. She hates her inability to fit in and wishes that she were kinder and more confident. Salvador tells Coyote that she is like a caterpillar waiting to grow into its butterfly wings; he explains that coming into oneself is a lifelong process with no endpoint. They scream out their adoration for one another and laugh as they pretend to be butterflies flying down the road.

Coyote and Salvador work together to fix all the problems that Coyote feels she caused. Her first order of business is to use Rodeo’s phone to call Candace and apologize. Coyote explains everything, including the matter of the lost book, and Candace understands. Candace also agrees to come back and surprise Rodeo, who has no idea what Coyote is doing. Although Wally dislikes driving, Coyote asks him to drive just this once so that Rodeo can sleep and will be unaware of the surprise. Wally agrees, and Rodeo predictably falls asleep. They turn back and pick up Candace, and Coyote reminds Rodeo of his refusal to celebrate or acknowledge their first Christmas after their family’s accident. She states that their shared dynamic of trying to rob one another of future happiness has grown tiresome, and she then surprises Rodeo with Candace’s return.

Coyote finally tells Rodeo about the lost book. He isn’t angry; instead, he blames himself for not taking care of the matter of the ashes much sooner. He sees a photo of the lost book on Coyote’s phone and recognizes it as the exact copy that his wife used to own, and Salvador figures out that the post comes from a bookstore in Ohio. They already happen to be in that state, and Coyote feels a new sense of hope that she may be able to find the book after all.