On a rainy October morning, Thomas Kennedy drives nine-year-old Gabriel—now six feet four inches tall—to Milwaukee to visit Thomas’s mother, Dorothy, in a memory care facility. Dorothy does not recognize Thomas but reacts emotionally to Gabriel, touching his face and declaring he will save the world.

Thomas reflects on childhood zoo visits with his mother, and in the present, he and Gabriel spend the afternoon at the zoo. On the drive home, Gabriel sleeps while Thomas listens to Liszt. They arrive at Jasper’s dark farmhouse around 10 o’clock that night to find empty beer cans arranged in a pyramid on the kitchen table. Jasper’s bed is empty. Gabriel goes to collect eggs. Thomas hears screaming and runs to find Gabriel backed against a wall—the flashlight reveals Jasper’s body hanging from a beam.

Just before midnight, knocking at their front door wakes Hannah and Josiah. They find Thomas and Gabriel soaking wet on their doorstep. After they provide towels and blankets, Thomas tells them Jasper has died by suicide. Hannah, overcome with guilt, retreats to the kitchen to cry.

Gabriel falls asleep on the sofa while Thomas, Hannah, and Josiah talk through the night. Thomas shares loving memories of Jasper and mentions that he was never baptized. Hannah finds herself unexpectedly comfortable with Thomas—even briefly wishing for his company—a feeling that troubles her.

Thomas arranges for Gabriel’s school bus route to change and asks to continue seeing him. Josiah and Hannah agree. When Gabriel wakes as Thomas prepares to leave, he begs Thomas not to go. Thomas reassures him, and Hannah promises that Gabriel will have Rachel’s old room.

Hannah takes Gabriel upstairs and explains the Amish way of life, telling him about Rachel catching fireflies to light the room. Gabriel’s feet extend beyond the bed. Hannah sits with him and sings the Old German lullaby “Schloof, Bobbeli, Schloof” until he falls asleep. As she leaves, sunrise glows through his window.

The winter following Jasper’s death is brutally cold. Thomas’s veterinary work slows, and he falls into a torpor, reading biographies and reflecting on his unremarkable life. He sees Gabriel only twice that winter.

On the first day of spring, he brings Gabriel a signed first edition of The Yearling, only to find Gabriel now dressed in Amish clothing. Hannah is fairly sure that Josiah will allow Gabriel to read the book. Thomas feels embarrassed for not considering their beliefs and declines Hannah’s invitation for coffee.

Driving home through falling snow, Thomas thinks about his wife, Angela. He recalls that they lost five pregnancies, and their son Samuel was stillborn at 21 weeks. Angela blamed Thomas for dismissing her when she had concerns about the pregnancy, and the loss created an unbridgeable distance between them. Angela grew critical and quick-tempered, and Thomas withdrew emotionally, closing himself off in protection against her unpredictable anger.

Billy drives to Josiah’s farm to argue that Gabriel’s baseball talent must be allowed to develop. Josiah responds that the Lord may have other plans, and baseball is merely a game. Billy loses his temper, insisting that it would be a waste of “God-given talent” for Gabriel to spend his life farming.

Hannah and Gabriel enter. Gabriel’s shirt is smeared with mud and blood from helping a goat give birth. He greets Billy enthusiastically, lifting him off the floor. Billy leaves disheartened but recognizes that Gabriel seems happy. Charlie Mayfield later tells him to get over it.

Billy loses interest in coaching Little League but finds new enthusiasm in the local high school football team after Trey Beathard, an experienced coach from Texas, is hired. The team improves steadily, bolstered by talented players including the Lopez brothers—Julio at quarterback and Jesus at split end—and Chinua Ngobo, a local boy adopted from Burkina Faso, who proves to be an exceptional running back. The team wins six games, advances to the playoffs, and revitalizes the town.

Hannah reflects that the first six years with Gabriel were the happiest of her life. After completing his term at the “English school” (the Amish term for the local public school), Gabriel asks to attend Amish school, begins dressing in plain clothing, and participates enthusiastically in church services. Older Amish boys challenge him to feats of strength, which he performs easily. Josiah worries that these displays will lead to pride, but Hannah argues that Gabriel cannot deny his God-given gifts.

When Gabriel turns 12, Josiah insists that he stop working with Thomas, citing pressure from church leadership to stop letting Gabriel leave the community so often. Hannah refuses to separate them entirely and proposes monthly dinners. Josiah agrees, and Thomas becomes a welcome friend.

Gabriel’s growth continues unabated. Josiah modifies the house, raising doorways and extending Gabriel’s bed. By the summer before he turns 17, Gabriel stands over eight feet tall and weighs 348 pounds. Hannah watches him handle elderly animals with remarkable gentleness as he and Josiah separate them for culling.

Hannah worries about Gabriel’s approaching Rumspringa (when Amish adolescents experience the “English” world to decide their commitment to their faith), especially as his friends begin theirs. One Saturday afternoon, local high school football coach Trey Beathard arrives and asks whether Gabriel would be interested in playing football. Hannah views this as the beginning of the English world coming to claim him.