Hannah returns to her apartment. The space is small, but she’s loved living on her own for the past couple of years. She folds some origami to relax before going to bed. In the middle of the night, Eden and Hannah’s cousin Rory appears by her bedside, waking her up. Rory is injured, and Eden demands that Hannah tend to his wounds. Hannah doesn’t want to help but stitches Rory up anyway. While she works, Eden and Rory reveal that he was in a scuffle with the Hawthorne boys. Hannah realizes they are the men she encountered at the bar and knows they’re trouble.

The next morning, Hannah goes to visit her friend Jackson Currie at his home near the lighthouse. He warns her about an impending storm, but the sky looks clear. A few hours later, however, the storm blows in, and “a massive fireball” shoots into the sky from “the direction of Rockaway Watch” (109, 110). Hannah realizes something happened on Hawthorne Island.

Later, Jackson appears at Hannah’s apartment, insisting she come to his house. He informs her that there was a fire and explosion on Hawthorne Island, and one of the boys washed up half-dead on his shore. He wants her to tend the boy’s wounds. He also informs Hannah that Kaylie was on the island with the Hawthornes, and they all died. Hannah struggles to process this information but knows there’s nothing she can do. The Hawthornes are powerful, and she can’t go to the police, because her family runs the drug and weapons trade along the coast.

At Jackson’s, Hannah is shocked to discover that the wounded man is Toby Hawthorne from the bar. She considers killing him to avenge Kaylie’s death. Instead, she wraps his wounds.

Hannah continues tending to Toby while thinking about Kaylie. She still can’t believe she’s dead.

From Jackson’s, Hannah drives to her parents’ house, where she confronts her dad, demanding to know where Eden is. Instead of telling her, he reminds her that she’s a Rooney. Hannah leaves without saying goodbye.

She returns to the beach, studying the smoke rising from Hawthorne Island. She tries to get the Coast Guard to take her there, but the island is still on fire.

At the hospital the next day, Hannah’s supervisor insists she take a few weeks off considering Kaylie’s death. Hannah reluctantly leaves and returns to Jackson’s. Seeing Toby, Hannah again considers killing him. However, when he begs to die, she decides to keep him alive as punishment.

Hannah spends three days at Jackson’s. When Toby wakes up again, Hannah realizes he doesn’t remember who he is. Jackson gave him the name Harry. Hannah introduces herself, and Harry makes the same joke about her palindromic name, calling her Hannah the Same Backward as Forward. Angry, Hannah resists his jokes.

Hannah continues nursing Harry over the following days. In the meantime, she soothes herself by folding origami and stacking sugar packets. She and Jackson agree to keep Harry there while he recovers.

While changing Harry’s bandages the next day, Hannah notices the color of his eyes. He tries engaging her in conversation, but Hannah deflects his questions.

Hannah goes into town for supplies and returns to Jackson’s.

Several days later, Hannah returns home for the first time since the accident. She finds a note from Eden inviting her to Kaylie’s wake. At her parents’ house, Hannah tries not to let Eden upset her. She overhears Rory talking about the fire and is shocked to discover the media is blaming Kaylie. Hannah tells herself to leave town, but instead, after the wake, she returns to Jackson’s.

Hannah lies next to a sleeping Harry and considers what to do next. She guesses that his father was behind the fire and put his sons up to it. She silently curses Harry until he starts talking about a poison tree in his sleep.

Hannah returns to work but continues visiting Harry on her days off. Over time, she stops thinking of him as Toby and starts engaging him in conversation.

As Hannah continues nursing Harry, she starts to notice how intently he watches her. Over the following days, they start chatting and playing cards. During one conversation, Hannah tries to ask about the poison tree but Harry doesn’t know what she means.

Over the next few days, Hannah keeps reminding herself Toby is now Harry. Harry grows restless, but Hannah insists he can’t leave until he’s fully recovered. Then one day, Harry starts quoting the lines of an intriguing poem.

On her break, Hannah researches the poem, discovering it’s William Blake’s “A Poison Tree.” Afterward, she races back to Jackson’s, horrified to discover Harry’s condition is worsening.

Hannah visits the burn unit for some supplies for Harry. While there, she realizes how much pain Harry is experiencing.

Hannah goes to her parents’ house and demands to see Kaylie’s room. She roots through Kaylie’s things, finds some opioids in a pillow, and takes them back to Harry.

The pills ease Harry’s pain, but he keeps asking for bourbon and lemons as he has for several days.

Hannah buys the bourbon and lemons for Harry. Afterward, Harry shows her a puzzle he’s made, and she uses the lemons to reveal a series of palindromes Harry wrote for her in invisible ink. Studying Harry, Hannah realizes he might have had a reason to burn Hawthorne Island.

A few weeks later, Harry gives Hannah a new puzzle. She solves it, impressing Harry.

Hannah helps Harry with his physical therapy. Meanwhile, she wonders about his secrets but tells herself she hates him and doesn’t need to know anything about him. Then one day he gives her another puzzle.

Back at home, Hannah stays up trying to solve Harry’s puzzle without success. The next day, she takes Harry out for a walk. They chat along the way, and Harry reveals that he still hasn’t recovered his memory.

Hannah stays up all night working on the puzzle. She finally solves it, revealing the message “Why Hide When You Can Run” (197).

Over the following nights, Hannah and Harry grow closer. He starts talking more intimately to her, revealing his attachment to her. He also explains what he’s deduced about her character from watching her. Hannah resists his compliments, determined not to get too close. However, she can’t help imagining kissing him.

One day, Harry asks Hannah who she lost, insisting her eyes show her grief. Hannah dodges his question.

Harry gives Hannah another puzzle.

Hannah uses her break at the hospital to work on Harry’s puzzle. Her supervisor interrupts her, insisting she come to oncology. There she encounters Eden, who has cancer but doesn’t want anyone to know. They have a tense conversation, during which Hannah tells herself she is not her mother.

Hannah cries in the shower, thinking about Eden and Kaylie. Afterward, she pulls herself together and returns to Jackson’s house. That night, while she and Harry walk to the lighthouse, Hannah opens up about Kaylie. She can’t help noticing Harry’s sympathy when she tells him about Eden. When they reach the lighthouse, they kiss, but Hannah still tells herself she hates Harry.

Hannah wakes up lying in the lighthouse with Harry. Kaylie appears and tells Hannah not to deny herself happiness or love. Before disappearing, she makes Hannah promise to enjoy her life. Hannah jerks awake from her dream.

Hannah lies awake next to Harry, crying over the dream. Harry wakes up and comforts her.

Hannah doesn’t visit Eden at the hospital. Instead, she plans to leave Rockaway Watch after Harry is better. She guesses they won’t leave together because he’ll soon remember he’s Toby.

After work, Hannah returns to Jackson’s and takes another walk with Harry. She feels drawn to him, silently telling herself to give in to her feelings. That night, they work on the puzzle and talk about hiding, running, and family. Then Hannah tells him about the William Blake poem he was quoting in his sleep. Afterward, they dance together and kiss.

Hannah spends as much time with Harry as she can. They occupy themselves with games and conversation.

Hannah and Harry get caught in the rain one night. They kiss, and Harry begs Hannah to run away with him.

Hannah informs Jackson that she and Harry are leaving, but first, she needs to get some things from her apartment.

At her apartment, Hannah runs into Rory, who tries to convince her to join the family business. She feigns self-loathing to get away from him and races back to Jackson’s.

Hannah and Harry spend the night together. Harry professes his love and insists he wants to be with her forever. However, he suddenly remembers his identity, Toby, and his demeanor changes. Realizing he killed Kaylie, he insists Hannah has to let him go. Hannah professes her love and makes him promise they’ll be together.

Harry’s memory returns over the following hours. He tells Hannah he set the fire to get revenge on his father. His biological dad was William Blake, but his adoptive father hid the truth from him and killed William. Harry begs for Hannah to let him go. In the morning, he’s gone.

Hannah reads Harry’s goodbye note. In the letter, Harry tells Hannah to change her name and start a new life elsewhere. He professes his love but insists she start over without him.

Three months later, Hannah has a new life in Connecticut as Sarah. To forget Toby, she sleeps with another man and gets pregnant. However, she feels that the baby is her and Toby’s child. Toby appears beside her when she gives birth.

Sarah and Toby name the baby Avery Kylie Grambs, an anagram of Very Risky Gamble. In the months following, Toby keeps up with Sarah via postcards.

Sarah and Avery make a life together without Avery’s biological father. Sarah still sees Toby as Avery’s real dad. Then one night, Toby’s dead mother visits Sarah and informs her that his father will find her. Unable to sleep that night, Sarah invents a secret game for her and Avery.