Three years after the massacre, in June 1860, Sally lives as an outcast among the Paiutes at Corn Creek. With the last of the men wounded at Mountain Meadows now dying, she anticipates becoming a scapegoat for the tribe’s renewed grief and anger. The Paiutes, still led by Chief Kanosh, feel betrayed by the Mormons; Brigham Young has stepped down as governor, the promised alliance has dissolved, and the spoils from the raid were taken by the Mormon settlers. Kanosh now directs his rage at Sally, whom he views as a tool of manipulation by Young. 

Ostracized and given the worst chores, Sally finds her only solace in a secret love affair with Awan. They meet covertly by the creek, a dangerous arrangement as they would face execution under “Blood Atonement” if discovered. Sally knows their time is limited, as Awan is being pressured to marry a Paiute widow. Their secret love is what makes her otherwise miserable existence bearable.

In Fillmore, Lucy finds Vick lying in their orchard and briefly fears he is dead. Three years after returning from his service with the Mormon militia in the north, Vick remains a haunted, emotionally distant man who refuses to speak about his experiences. His trauma has created a deep rift between them. 

Lucy also struggles with Vick having taken a second wife, a kind Bannock woman named Kima. The community is still dealing with the aftermath of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The Mormons’ initial praise for the Paiutes’ actions ceased when outside newspapers began to suspect Mormons were involved in the massacre. Now rumors are spreading that the U.S. Army has discovered the victims’ bodies in a mass grave. 

The Robisons have also adopted Amina, a young child whose arm was amputated, and Lucy loves her fiercely. The family is now preparing for Vick to take a third wife: 16-year-old Peach Willis, who has been hired to help with chores.

In June 1860, an eight-year-old girl named Emma Willis is tormented by recurring nightmares. In her dreams, she is in a giant bed with her family and the entire community while blood drips on them from bodies hanging above. Emma’s mother appears and presses a ring into her hand, urging her to “[t]ry.” 

Emma’s mother dismisses the dreams as satanic and forbids Emma from speaking of them. Convinced her unanswered prayers to stop the nightmares are a sign of her own wickedness, Emma feels ashamed and alone. For comfort, she secretly keeps a small, handmade yucca horse hidden under her bed.

Emma and her younger sister, Violet, accompany their older sister Peach to the Robison home every Wednesday. Peach is courting Vick Robison while also working as their hired help, and everyone expects a marriage proposal soon. 

Exhausted from her nightmares, Emma feels inferior to her perfect sisters. Peach, aware of Emma’s suffering, kindly allows her to take a nap with Violet and the Robisons’ child, Amina, at the house. Emma finds that she can sleep dreamlessly during the day. In the night, however, Vick begins to appear in her nightmares as a skeletal figure with black wings who shields her from the dripping blood. In this version of the dream, her mother’s hand still presses a ring into hers, and within the dream Emma deciphers its inscription: “BELOVED.”

At Sunday school, Emma gets scolded for answering a question on behalf of Amina, who has mutism. 

After the church service, Lucy is visibly cold toward Peach, making her displeasure about the impending plural marriage clear. Later, Emma overhears her mother criticizing Lucy’s “pride” and selfishness for resisting polygamy. 

The Willis family’s poverty is emphasized during “fast Sunday,” when they must skip meals to donate to the poor, a practice Emma finds confusing since they are already struggling for food.

Lucy dreams she is in the orchard with her sons, including her deceased son, Proctor, who appears as he was before he died. A woman with dark curls joins her, and they watch their children play. The woman points to her own four beautiful children, who begin to cry with hunger. When Lucy wants to help, the woman says it is no use, as her children are dead, just like Proctor. Lucy awakens with a start to the sound of Amina crying beside her in bed.

Now pregnant with Awan’s child, Sally explores a narrow cave, hoping to find a hiding place. She gets stuck and panics, realizing her pregnancy is becoming too obvious to conceal. When she finally escapes the cave, she finds Inola waiting for her. Inola confirms that Awan spoke to her that morning. 

Inola reveals that her brother, Keme, has just died, which will make the camp even more hostile toward Sally. Inola offers a plan to protect Sally and Awan, first inflicting minor injuries on Sally to create a believable story that they fought. She makes Sally promise to trust her, stay in the village, and not speak to Awan until she gives the word. Sally agrees.

Emma spends her days working as a “scarecrow” in her family’s fields, chasing away birds and smashing grasshoppers for pig feed. On the way to the Robisons’ house, Violet reveals that their mother expects Vick Robison to propose to Peach that evening, as he has already asked their father for his blessing. The news saddens Emma, who does not want her sister to leave, but she tries to hide her feelings.

At the Robisons’ house, Emma tells a comforting story to Amina and Violet, and the three fall asleep behind the stove. Their nap is interrupted when Vick arrives home early to surprise Peach with a picnic lunch. Hidden from view, the girls overhear Vick asking Peach about Emma, whom he calls a “Poor wretch.” The comment devastates Emma, confirming her deepest fears that she is flawed and unlovable.

When Peach returns from her picnic with Vick, she shows Emma her new engagement ring, which is a twisted silver band. Overwhelmed by sadness and the memory of Vick’s cruel comment, Emma bursts into sobs. The scene becomes intensely awkward, and Vick quickly snatches Peach’s hand away from Emma, claiming the ring needs to be resized. Deeply embarrassed, Emma and her sisters walk home.

Four uniformed U.S. Army officers arrive at the Robison home looking for Bishop Brunson. Wary, Lucy deliberately sends them in the wrong direction. The lead officer reveals that they also have questions for Vick about the massacre. Lucy insists the Paiutes were responsible and that the Mormon men were away in Echo Canyon when it happened. The soldiers ride into the orchard to find Vick, and Lucy is overcome with fear, reflecting on the sacred and secret temple covenants she and Vick made when they were married.

During a dinner celebrating Peach’s engagement, Emma accidentally drops a clod of dried clay from her sleeve into the family’s last jar of apple preserves. As punishment for ruining the food, her mother takes her plate away and gives her portion to the pig, stating the animal needs the fat more than Emma does.

After the soldiers leave, Vick emerges from the orchard and tells Lucy he is going to a priesthood meeting, giving her their secret hand-squeeze signal to warn her to be careful. 

Vick returns late that night, visibly distressed, and instructs Lucy to tell the children that the U.S. Army officers were merely conducting a census. Sensing this is a critical moment, Lucy confronts him, invoking their sacred temple covenants and insisting his secrets are her secrets. Using the same grip they had shared in the temple, she demands the truth. Vick experiences a mental health crisis and, sobbing, confesses that he was, in fact, present at the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

That night, Emma asks Peach why Vick called her a “wretch.” Peach snaps at her, coldly telling her to stop asking such questions. The harsh rebuke leaves Emma feeling utterly alone. 

Emma has a dream in which Vick gives the engagement ring to Peach while Amina runs into her own arms for protection. Waking, Emma is compelled to take the ring from its pouch. She discovers it is made of two interlocking bands and feels an inscription on the inside. As her fingers trace the letters of the word “Beloved,” she has a shocking realization: Her nightmares are suppressed memories, and the ring belongs neither to Peach nor to herself.