Sara sends Alana to collect her things so that they can leave. Sara initially responds to Jacob with anger and suspicion. Jacob tries to meet her anger calmly. Though her anger reduces, she still insists that he leave, refusing to let him talk to Alana. He leaves but gives her his card. After Jacob leaves, he sits in his truck, digesting his new reality in which he has a niece. He thinks about coming to see Hosea when he first arrived back in Savannah. Jacob was surprised that Hosea listened to him rather than throwing him out. Hosea gave Jacob books of poetry and guided Jacob for weeks through poems, which illuminated Jacob’s purpose and intent in Savannah.

Jacob returns to the prison to visit Daniel. He shows Daniel Alana’s notebook without revealing her identity. They discuss her talent, and Daniel encourages Jacob to tutor this student and give her the tools to use her intelligence to its best advantage.

Jacob can’t sleep that night. Trying to sort through the pain and complexity of his situation, he remembers a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem that gives him some clarity. He sees Alana’s watch on his table and focuses his attention on its repair.

Sara worries that Jacob will come back, but after a week, she’s neither seen nor heard from him. Distracted by worry that the Wyler family will file for custody of Alana, she consults a lawyer, who tells her that “Georgia law does establish a presumption about aggravated circumstances and the conception of a child through rape does qualify, but judges have wide discretion” in determining custody (131). Sara panics and prepares to return to Maine, where a rapist cannot sue for custody of a child. Sylvia tries to talk her down and convince her that she’s safe, and Alana overhears her mother’s plan to leave. Alana argues with Sara, refusing to leave. Sara is wracked with indecision, not knowing the right course of action.

Sara wakes up in the middle of the night, remembering finding out that she was pregnant. Birdie had worked hard to make Sara look terrible during the rushed trial, and although Sara visited an abortion clinic, she changed her mind. She and her family agreed that leaving was the only safe option. She hears her father in his study and goes to see him.

She asks about Jacob and whether Hosea knew who he was when he helped with the bookstore. Hosea explains through poetry quotations that Jacob wanted his forgiveness. She struggles to decide whether she can trust Jacob. Hosea advises that she forgive him and move on from her assault. She decides to call Jacob. He comes to the house alone in the middle of the night, directly after her call.

Jacob is so grateful that Sara hasn’t left town and is willing to speak to him that he rushes to her house, not considering the hour. Her tone is abrupt, and she’s worried and suspicious. They talk first about Hosea and why Jacob came to him, his illness and impending death, of which Jacob was unaware. Jacob tells Sara that he hasn’t told anyone about Alana. He can’t explain why he hasn’t, but he tells her that he won’t if she doesn’t want him to. Jacob also tells Sara that keeping his family a secret from Alana and vice versa is not a long-term plan that will work. Sara suggests a deal—Jacob can see Alana if he keeps her existence a secret from his family. He tries to give her money for Alana’s care, but it offends her, and she refuses. He pulls Alana’s notebook out of his backpack and explains that Alana is a genius and needs someone to work with her. He says that she has the intellectual ability to solve some of the world’s most complex mathematical problems. He asks to tutor her, and Sara asks for more time.

Jacob visits Birdie at her house. After saying hello to Martha, the long-time housekeeper and Jacob’s “stand-in mother” (154), he goes to the garden, where Birdie is working in the dirt. She tells him that Daniel has an infection that could delay the bone marrow transplant. They argue about Sara, whom Birdie blames for the dissolution of their family, while Jacob insists that Daniel’s actions are to blame. They move on to another topic, and Jacob agrees to stay the night at the house.

Sara spends Sunday morning alone with Alana. Alana tells Sara about Jacob trading watches with Alana so that he could fix the broken one. Sara asks if Alana would like to learn from Jacob, and Alana instantly says yes because Jacob was the only one who could see that she was right about the equation at the museum.

Jacob meets Sara at the bookstore after closing. They talk about poetry, Hosea, and Naomi before Sara apologizes for her manner with Jacob up to this point. She thanks him for offering to fix Alana’s watch and tries to return his to him, but he insists that he made a deal and will trade back when the yellow watch is fixed. He explains that he also breaks watches like Alana. Sara explains that he can tutor Alana with some restrictions and that she wants Alana to have a balance between intellectual work and normal life, so he has to teach her things beyond math and science. He agrees. She also asks for his help in addressing Alana’s many questions about his family—not to lie but to tread carefully and redirect when necessary. She still insists that Jacob can’t tell his family about Alana. He begins to object, but she insists on this part of the agreement.

Jacob has his first tutoring session with Alana. He’s charmed by her and impressed not just by her mathematical ability but also by her talent for languages. Jacob and Sara work together to tell Alana that Jacob is her uncle. Jacob neatly sidesteps questions about where Daniel is and whether Alana can meet him. Jacob finishes their visit by showing her how to fix her broken watches. Sara is grateful for Jacob’s balance and his approach to working with Alana.

Jacob visits Daniel and tells him about Alana’s abilities with math and languages in more detail. Daniel tells Jacob that he wants to fall in love before he dies.