After Pan’s mother dies, his father, Henry, brings seven-year-old Pan to James’s house and asks James to take in his son, explaining that Pan has nowhere else to go. James reluctantly agrees to a trial period, telling Henry that he owes him. Henry leaves abruptly, unable to say goodbye. James instructs Robert to find simple tasks for the boy. Pan is given a room larger than the one he shared with his mother. Alone, he cries for his parents. He recalls his mother explaining that his father lives outside the city because he fears recapture by his old enslaver.

The next morning, Molly serves Pan a larger breakfast than he has ever had. Robert cuts Pan’s hair, gives him a hot bath—Pan is amazed by the indoor spigot—and dresses him in new clothes and his first pair of shoes. Robert teaches him to clean fireplaces and polish boots. At midday, Molly offers another large meal. Pan becomes emotional, wishing his mother could have such food. Molly comforts him, assuring him that there will always be enough. That night, Pan asks Molly to leave his door open, and her snoring helps him sleep. The next morning, he wakes early, ready to work.

James sits in his dressing room, behind schedule for an evening party held by the wealthy Cardons to honor artists such as himself. Pan’s disappearance and the dangers of his upcoming Southern trip—funded by a Peale Museum grant to study birds—overwhelm him. He also dreads seeing Caroline.

As Robert helps James dress, James tells him that he has promised Henry to search for Pan. Robert reveals that Molly told him that Pan had requested money to buy James a parrot, wanting to “see [him] happy again” (28). James is struck by the boy’s thoughtfulness and realizes that this explains why Pan went to the shipyards. Composing himself in the mirror, he reminds himself that his access to Southern homes will be vital for finding Pan. In his carriage, he thinks of Caroline with longing and anxiety.

On Sundays, Pan visits with his father. Pan tries to talk about his deceased mother, but Henry forbids it, insisting that she is gone. Pan tells his father that James is teaching him to read and write and treating him kindly. When Pan mentions that James intervened after Robert made him wear uncomfortable shoes, Henry warns Pan not to talk so much or bother James. Henry grows tense when Pan again references his mother “watchin’ out for [them]” (32), but as they walk back, Henry squeezes Pan’s hand, showing he is not angry.

James arrives at the “magnificent” Cardon home, where Felix, a servant, greets him. In the ballroom, James sees Caroline. She blushes when she notices him but remains with her companion. Caroline’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cardon, approach. Mr. Cardon reminds James that Caroline is married. Caroline’s husband’s parents join them—a wealthy minister and his bland wife. James reflects on his dislike for the hypocritical minister, as well as on Mr. Cardon’s ruthless past in the fur trade and the Cardons’ secret financial ties to slavery despite their public abolitionism. The minister makes a condescending remark about James’s reputation with women.

Mrs. Cardon skillfully extricates James from the conversation and reminds him of her role in securing his grant. She tells him that Caroline will be traveling to the Cardons’ country estate, Stonehill, the next day for her health. Caroline insisted on inviting James to visit during the next month, before his trip south. James agrees. As they approach Caroline, he notices how thin she has become and worries about her tight corset harming their unborn child.

Pan finds that Henry remains anxious about recapture; the location of their Sunday visits varies based on where Henry is living at the time. Pan recalls life with his mother before she died, including her friendship with a woman named Sheila. He remembers his mother’s illness, his father’s overwhelming grief at her death, and being brought to James’s house.

Sometime last year, Pan noticed that Caroline began attending James’s art classes. James became noticeably happy and started whistling. One day, Pan walked in on James and Caroline kissing in the room where James’s cockatoo, Malcolm, is kept. Pan promised them that he could be “discreet,” a word he had learned from Robert.

Then, just weeks ago, the affair abruptly ended. Caroline stopped visiting, and James became deeply depressed, spending most of his time closed in his study. When Pan approaches him, James confides that Henry saved his life when he was 13 and admits he has “[made] a mess” with Caroline (43). Pan offers his mother’s wisdom about the importance of honesty. Wanting to cheer James up, Pan remembers him mentioning green parrots brought in on ships. Despite warnings from his father and Robert about enslavers at the docks, Pan decides to go buy James a parrot.

James decides to leave the party early to avoid encouraging rumors about himself and Caroline. However, when he collides with a servant, Caroline seizes the distraction and pulls James into a dark corridor. In distress, she confronts him, asking why he has “abandoned” her and if it is because of the child. He denies abandoning her but calls himself a coward. She tells him that her mother is taking her to the country because of rumors and begs to know when she can see him. He reaffirms his promise to visit Stonehill. A male cousin arrives, sent by Mr. Cardon, and escorts Caroline away.

Watching her leave, James resolves to go to Stonehill and confess the truth about his heritage to prepare her for any outcome with their child. He feels ashamed for causing her suffering through his deceit. Noticing a group of women whispering about him, he leaves.

On a Friday morning, Pan studies James’s city map and heads to the Philadelphia docks to buy a parrot. He recalls his father once hitting him for talking about going there; Henry showed him his mutilated thumbs as a warning regarding the realities of slavery.

At the docks, a wagon driver directs Pan to a tavern. Outside, two men approach. One introduces himself as Skinner and learns that Pan is alone, looking for a parrot. They claim to have one for sale. Pan feels uneasy and tries to leave, but Skinner grabs his shoulder and forces him toward a small boat tied to a pier. A Black man on the pier looks away as Skinner yanks Pan aboard. There, Skinner covers Pan’s mouth with a strong-smelling rag, and Pan loses consciousness.

Pan awakens in the dark hold of the moving boat beside Randall, a sick five-year-old boy crying for his mother. Both are violently seasick. When Pan demands to know their destination, Skinner punches him, knocking him down. Randall tries to defend Pan and is thrown against a wall. After Skinner leaves, Pan comforts the younger boy, promising that James will rescue them once Pan sends a letter. After several days, the boat docks in Virginia, and the boys are transported to a group of barns. There, Skinner and another man argue, casually mentioning that a stronger boy they tried to kidnap was killed during capture—Randall’s brother.

They lock the boys in a barn. Randall is severely ill, coughing hard and feverish. That night, Skinner returns with a buyer. The man purchases Pan for $100 and Randall for $20. Pan offers his own coins to keep them together, but the man steals the money and mocks him. When Pan protests, the man punches him in the face, knocking out a tooth. As Randall screams, Pan cries.