Lucy comes home, and her mother makes her eat dinner because Lucy is not supposed to eat at the chipper. Lucy remembers following her mother around the kitchen as a child; her grandmother would tell her that she was a pest. She thinks that when she was punished at school for involuntarily playing “kiss chase,” her mother started to love her less. Lucy suspects that she is “heavy in the air” to her mother (18). Martin tutors Lucy in Irish since Lucy is falling behind. Eventually, Martin leaves, and Lucy watches him go. Her mother takes a painkiller, and the sight of her in her nightgown makes Lucy uncomfortable. Lucy considers telling her grandmother goodnight and looks at herself in the mirror. Lucy does not like the quiet house, but she thinks about her friends’ lives. Patricia’s parents will be tired, while Eimear’s house will be full of crying siblings. Susannah’s father, Phil, will visit her mother, Catríona, and they will fight. Lucy thinks that something explosive will happen.

For four days, Lucy obsesses over Susannah’s mouth and then her forehead, nails, and cuticles. On Communion Day, Susannah was the reason why Lucy did not kiss Martin. Susannah looked beautiful and delivered her prayers perfectly. Lucy felt guilty for being attracted to Susannah and wishes that she still thought about marrying Martin. Lucy does not understand her guilt and hopes that reflecting on the past will help her understand herself.

Summer passes, and Lucy grows more obsessed with Susannah. She falls further behind in her schoolwork because she spends her days watching and talking with Susannah. Lucy wonders if Patricia is jealous of her closeness with Susannah. Susannah is smart, and Lucy does not want to fail in front of her. Lucy is embarrassed to wonder if Susannah feels the same way. She hopes to “cleanse” herself in March. Lucy’s and Martin’s families, the Nolans and Burkes, are close, and Lucy feels that Martin is a part of her. Though Lucy likes the liminal feeling between adulthood and childhood that she feels with Martin, she finds herself drawn to the girls and worries about being different.

Crossmore is no longer important, but Lucy feels like she knows the older version of it. Lucy debates the value of a small town, noting that her father says Crossmore is safe. Susannah’s mother, Catríona, is a notable socialite in town; she owns a large home and doesn’t have a husband. Lucy wishes that she never realized that the girls replace the women, and that the boys replace the men, since she is not sure if she wants to follow this pattern. Lucy wants to leave Crossmore, but she does not know if she could survive elsewhere. Lucy hopes that other people feel as isolated as she does.

Lucy’s father spends the day on the farm. Lucy asks for help with her homework to feel closer to him. Her four brothers look like her mother but act like her father. Lucy’s older brother, Tadgh, will inherit the farm, though their father says it is cursed. Lucy is not close with Tadgh, though she thinks they might become closer as adults. For now, Tadgh is a shadow of their father in the same way that Lucy is trying to be a shadow of her mother. Her friend Maria is the youngest of seven sisters, like her mother, and Lucy likes playing with her other friend Eimear’s younger sisters. Susannah’s brothers, Damien and Joe, left home, and Susannah hopes that they will come back for her. Six years after Lucy’s birth, her parents had Ciaran, whom Lucy expects will not always be close with her. Last year, her parents had Padraig, whom Lucy cares for.

Lucy’s mother worked in a bank before she got married, but Lucy struggles to picture her mother young. Lucy plays with Padraig, but her mother tells her to start attracting men, which embarrasses Lucy. Maria knows her entire life plan, which Lucy attributes to Maria’s sisters. Lucy debates leaving Crossmore or becoming the housewife that her mother expects her to be. Lucy imitates the other girls, though she often feels like they know something she does not. Lucy feels “frigid” and unfeeling, and she hopes that she develops feelings for Martin. Lucy’s parents like and trust Martin, who often serves as Lucy’s chaperone. A girl named Rita Hegarty has a crush on Martin, which makes people assume that Lucy hates her. Lucy thinks that Rita should be with Martin.

Lucy and the girls decide to break Lent and go to a candy shop. The owner’s son, Liam, is the only person watching the store, and Susannah distracts him while the girls steal small candies. Lucy is enchanted by Susannah’s seductive behavior, comparing her own arousal to Liam’s apparent interest. The girls leave, and Eimear jokes about the seduction. Susannah shares her lollipop with Lucy, who did not take any candy.

Rumors circulate that Niamh had an abortion, which creates an uneasiness about sex among the girls. The girls are all at different stages of sexual experience, but they do not talk about it. Lucy considers that sex might not be as sacred as she imagined it, but she is still uninterested. Susannah notices how Lucy stares at her and teases her, though Lucy likes how direct Susannah is. Lucy wishes that she could be direct and tell Tadgh about their distance, tell Patricia how much she dislikes her, and tell Martin how she does not love him but does not want to lose him. There are rumors that Martin and Lucy are romantically involved. The kids gather at a playground, and the boys are hyping Martin to do something. Rita compliments Lucy’s belt before slinking away from her. Lucy says that the girls are a nice group, but they are vicious to outsiders like Rita. A boy comes over and tells Rita to talk to Martin, and the girls are shocked. Lucy remarks that Rita must not really be afraid of her, and the girls brand Rita as a “slut.” Maria mentions Niamh’s abortion, but the girls escort Lucy away when Martin kisses Rita. Lucy feels defeated, realizing that Martin was a back-up. Martin does not talk to Lucy at Mass, but he visits her on Sunday night. Lucy realizes that she must end the ambiguity in their relationship. She congratulates him on his new relationship. Martin shifts from disappointment at Lucy rejecting him to joy at accepting Lucy as a friend.

Everyone assures Lucy that Martin will break up with Rita and return to her. Lucy feels bad for Rita and Martin, and she notices how the other girls cope with their problems. She thinks it is easier to just fit in. In September, the boyfriend of Ms. O’Neill, the girls’ home economics teacher, left her, and she developed a hatred for Susannah after seeing her smoking a cigarette. Though months have passed, Ms. O’Neill mistreats Susannah, who forgets ingredients for class. Susannah has no money since her father left her mother, but Ms. O’Neill chastises her publicly. Maria and Eimear offer to share their ingredients, which defuses the situation. Susannah tells Lucy to call her after school. Lucy says that she cannot talk on the phone because her mother listens to her calls, which upsets Susannah, who tells Lucy to write her a letter. Lucy likes hearing Susannah but not listening to her since she likes her and does not think Susannah feels the same. Though no one else made a successful meringue, Lucy’s comes out perfect. She cracks it to disappoint Ms. O’Neill, who only has her job because she spent a year in France.

Lucy writes Susannah a letter discussing random events, including how her mother cannot afford enough meat. She ends the letter by writing that she hopes Susannah’s bed is warm and that she sleeps well. Lucy is embarrassed by the letter, but she gives it to Susannah the next day, and Susannah seems pleased. The next day, Susannah gives Lucy a letter that thanks her for her letter, saying that Susannah read it multiple times and appreciated the company. Lucy pledges to write Susannah more letters.

Lucy catches up with Martin, whom she sees less now that he is dating Rita. She arranges to have Martin tell a boy named Ryan O’Toole that Eimear has a crush on him. Martin asks if Lucy wants to be set up with someone. She says that she does not know if she likes anyone. She wonders why she cannot talk to Martin about her feelings, and she sometimes thinks she missed out on being with him.

Susannah invites Lucy to spend the weekend sunbathing at Croft Hall, the O’Shea home. Phil rarely visits, and Catríona goes on weekend trips, leaving Susannah alone. No one knows if Catríona works, but she is broke. Susannah’s brothers never visit. Lucy and Susannah still exchange letters, and Maria once suggested that all the girls send letters to each other, though Lucy does not want that. Catríona makes Susannah wear more clothing to avoid being seen by people passing by, and Lucy understands the need to cover up when Susannah undresses to reveal a blue bikini. Susannah tells Lucy to read her most recent letter, in which Lucy mentions Jesus going to hell to save Eve. They smoke cannabis, and Lucy is disappointed that the tip of the joint is not wet. Lucy likes the imperfect way the bikini fits Susannah, and she reminds herself that they are all just “pieces of the earth” (67). Lucy falls asleep while sunbathing with Susannah, and it feels intimate. Susannah asks Lucy to press ice on her back, making Lucy realize how Susannah has made herself the center of Lucy’s attention.

Susannah tells Lucy about Patricia’s struggles. Lucy calls Patricia a “bitch” who does not like her, but Susannah says that Patricia is jealous. Lucy wonders if her obsession with Susannah is healthy. Susannah says that she would rather spend the weekend with just Lucy than all the girls. The girls walk home, and Eimear notices Thomas looking at Lucy. Maria asserts that Lucy only cares about Martin. Susannah says that Lucy does not like either boy, saying that Lucy likes Susannah. The girls laugh, but Lucy looks at Susannah, realizing she is right. Lucy sees Martin as a part of herself, but Susannah is someone she wants. She panics while thinking about how people in Crossmore call lesbians “dykes,” and she cannot imagine that Susannah feels the same way about her. Lucy reflects on how Susannah chooses to spend time with her, but she decides to wait and see if Susannah tries to get closer to her. Lucy stops herself from confessing her feelings in her letters, and she buys aloe vera to massage Susannah’s calves. Lucy wants summer to last forever and realizes that she loves Susannah.