Owen and Nicholas compile every piece of evidence connecting Nicholas to the Organization, including his witness testimony of his interactions with Frank from the very beginning of their collaboration. They also discuss Frank’s six children and the different lives they lead. Quinn and Teddy are their biggest concern because they are poised to succeed Frank when he steps down. Quinn had no interest in joining the Organization until her husband, Wesley, was incarcerated, having been identified in Owen’s testimony as one of Frank’s top lieutenants. She is the most likely to use Hannah and Bailey to take revenge on Owen, though she will rely on Teddy’s heightened cruelty to exact that revenge.

On their last night of planning, Nicholas posits that Hannah may never forgive Owen for disrupting their lives. Owen accepts this; he only cares for her and Bailey’s safety. Nicholas reminds him that the biggest obstacle to their plan is that Frank knows how Nicholas thinks, implying that he might anticipate what Nicholas and Owen have planned.

The novel flashes back to Quinn’s engagement party. That night, Nicholas informed Frank he would be stepping back from his role as the Organization’s legal counsel, which would give Quinn’s fiancé, Wesley, an opportunity to take his place as a competent early career lawyer. Frank accepted Nicholas’s request out of respect for their friendship, much to the latter’s surprise.

Nicholas and Owen brief each other on the plans for Owen’s final trips out of New Zealand. The penultimate trip requires him to pass through several cities in the United States. The final trip will see him visiting Hannah to give her the flash drive before going to see Nicholas.

Nicholas considers it unlikely that both of them will survive their plan. Owen accepts this as well, and the two men part ways.

Back in the present, Nicholas admits that he agreed to work with Owen out of the shared fear that after Nicholas’s death, the Organization would harm Hannah and Bailey to draw out Owen. Though Nicholas does have a heart condition, it offered them a pretext to test whether the Organization would really act on the news of Nicholas’s death. By choosing not to warn Hannah and Bailey of his plan, Nicholas could monitor the Organization for any enforcers dispatched to abduct them.

Nicholas reveals the next phase of his plan: Since Frank is retiring in the French town of Èze, Nicholas plans to surprise him at his next birthday party that weekend. Hannah and Bailey are to remain somewhere safe, but Hannah protests, indicating that it won’t be safe for Nicholas to confront Frank, Quinn, and Teddy alone. She urges Nicholas to let her accompany him to guarantee that everything goes according to plan.

It is then that Nicholas reveals that the man who was following them from the airport was his bodyguard, Seth. Hannah insists on accompanying Nicholas, who looks to Bailey for support. When Bailey does not protest Hannah’s participation, Nicholas relents.

The novel flashes back to a dinner meeting between Nicholas and Frank, over a year after Kate was killed by a speeding car. Frank thanked Nicholas for not giving Frank up to the FBI despite Nicholas’s own incarceration. Frank promised Nicholas that he owed him any favor he asked. Nicholas dismissed the idea, believing that Frank was trying to console him over Kate’s death. This felt empty to him given the rumor that Kate’s death was connected to Nicholas’s decision to withdraw from the Organization.

Frank reminded Nicholas that when Jenny died, Nicholas told him to look for purpose instead of joy. That was enough to help Frank through his grief. Nicholas then identified Kristin (Bailey’s given name) as his purpose and asked Frank to recover her from Owen.

Hannah stays awake that night and reexamines Owen’s flash drive. She reflects on the image of the marine compass, which is supposed to point steadily north when everything else spins out of control. Nicholas gets up and asks Hannah what is on her mind. Hannah believes that something is missing from their plan. She wonders what makes Nicholas sure that the Organization will agree to leave her and Bailey alone. Nicholas indicates that when he confronts the syndicate, it won’t have any other choice. He then promises to tell her something that Owen understood better than anyone else.

Owen bikes from Antibes to Old Town, anticipating a message from Nicholas as he travels. He navigates the busy Provençal market, worried that a police officer may be following him. When Owen stops at a coffee shop, a woman and a man call his attention, asking him to take their photo. Owen indulges them and foregoes coffee. He proceeds to Port Vauban in order to reach a boat.

Seth drives Nicholas, Hannah, and Bailey to Èze. Hannah reviews the files on Quinn and understands that Quinn blames Owen for Wesley’s incarceration. Nicholas confirms that Wesley was not granted parole during his last hearing, which means he will remain in prison for at least another two years. Nicholas assures her that he and Owen have planned with Quinn in mind, but Hannah believes that they are discounting the fact that Quinn is a wife and mother who wants to protect her family.

Upon reaching Antibes, the group drops Bailey and Seth off at the Musée Picasso. Seth will watch over Bailey from a distance. Bailey bids Nicholas farewell, urging him to take care. Hannah reassures Bailey as they say goodbye.