A corpse with lace knotted in its hair is found frozen in the Kennebec River.

Martha examines the body at Pollard's Tavern, identifies it as Joshua Burgess, and concludes he was hanged.

Dr. Page arrives at the tavern, claims authority over the autopsy, and forces Martha to leave.

Martha visits Rebecca Foster and delivers news of Burgess's murder; Rebecca reveals the rape left her pregnant.

Sally Pierce accuses Rebecca of fornication and Isaac Foster of Burgess's murder at the court hearing.

North holds Martha in contempt of court and orders Ephraim to remove her from the hearing.

North pressures Ephraim into taking a weeks-long surveying job to keep him absent from the next court date.

Ephraim arrives at the Vassalboro court just in time for Martha to testify and submit her journal as evidence.

Rebecca formally accuses North of rape at the Vassalboro hearing; the judge defers the case to a higher court.

The Court of Common Pleas charges North with attempted rape; he immediately flees the courtroom.

Lambard arrests Cyrus Ballard for the murder of Joshua Burgess following the court session.

Rebecca fails to appear at the Supreme Judicial Court hearing, and North is acquitted of the rape charges.

Rebecca gives birth to a baby girl but tells Martha to throw the infant in the river.

North arrives at the Ballard mill and attempts to rape Martha; she severs his penis with a woodworking blade.

Martha confronts Sam Dawin, who reveals that Burgess raped May and that Jonathan Ballard helped carry out the murder.

The discovery of Joshua Burgess's frozen body sets Martha Ballard on a collision course with Colonel Joseph North, the town's most powerful man and one of the rapists who attacked parson's wife Rebecca Foster. North manipulates the local court system to discredit both Martha and Rebecca, engineering a surveying trip to keep Martha's husband away on a critical court date. Martha fights through successive hearings up the Massachusetts judicial ladder, but corrupt proceedings result in North's acquittal and her son Cyrus being charged with murder. When North arrives at Martha's mill to assault her as personal retribution, she fights back decisively and ends his capacity to harm women. The truth about Burgess's murder is finally revealed to Martha by the man who committed it, bringing the investigation to a resolution the courts never could have delivered.

The headline events of Martha Ballard's investigation into murder and rape.

Martha delivers the blacksmith's baby girl and bristles at his open disappointment over not having a son.

Martha returns home to find Dolly and Hannah caring for Sam Dawin, who nearly drowned in the frozen river.

Dolly and Hannah reveal to Martha that Cyrus fought with Burgess at the town dance the previous night.

Dr. Page prescribes a dangerous dose of laudanum during Grace Sewell's labor; Martha stays to save both mother and baby.

Martha defends Sarah White against malicious gossip from a group of pregnant women at Coleman's General Store.

North visits the Ballard mill twice to intimidate Martha and insinuate that Cyrus could be charged with murder.

Martha visits Doctor at the remote Burnt Hill cabin and receives reassurance about Rebecca Foster's use of savine tea.

Martha visits Sam and May Dawin at their wharf and realizes their unborn child was conceived out of wedlock.

Martha discovers Jonathan and Sally Pierce in a sexual encounter on Mill Creek Bridge and confronts them both.

Rebecca gives a detailed, emotional account of the rape before the assembled Court of Common Pleas.

Martha begins teaching Sarah White to read using The New England Primer, the first step in her matchmaking plan.

Martha delivers Dr. Page's wife Melody's baby safely, then makes Page promise never to deliver another baby in Hallowell.

Martha brings Rebecca's rejected newborn to Sarah White, who agrees to nurse the infant alongside her own child.

Henry Warren returns to Hallowell to marry Sarah and reveals that North falsely cited him as an alibi witness.

Jonathan pays Sally Pierce's fornication fine at the April court date and announces their intention to marry.

While Martha pursues justice for Rebecca Foster, her daily work as a midwife draws her into the struggles of a community shaped by Puritan shame culture and gender oppression. She delivers babies, defends outcasted women like Sarah White, and watches as the incompetent Dr. Page causes preventable tragedies across Hallowell. Her son Jonathan's secret affair with Sally Pierce and the tentative connection forming between Cyrus and Sarah White reveal the domestic stakes of the investigation beyond any courtroom. In a significant professional victory, Martha forces Page to abandon midwifery entirely after saving his own wife's life. The resolution brings quiet renewal: Rebecca's rejected baby finds a loving home with Sarah, her militia sweetheart returns to marry her, and Jonathan steps up to provide for his unexpected family.

The supporting characters and community life surrounding the investigation.

Sam Dawin tells Martha he saw no rope near Burgess's body when he discovered it beneath the frozen river.

Rebecca reveals to Martha that she believes she is pregnant as a direct result of the rape.

Martha testifies at the Court of General Sessions that Burgess was murdered; Page testifies that he drowned accidentally.

In a flashback, Billy Crane is hanged for raping Martha; Ephraim plans to marry her immediately to protect her reputation.

Martha sends Lambard to the tavern without revealing Burgess is dead, hoping he will independently inspect the body.

Coleman tells Martha that Lambard examined Burgess's body on his own and agrees the death was murder.

Ephraim's falcon returns to the mill carrying a message that Ephraim will attend the upcoming court hearing.

Martha notices Jonathan and Sam engaged in a serious private conversation at the mill dance before being interrupted.

Lambard arrives at the Ballard mill with orders to arrest Cyrus; Dolly vows never to speak to Lambard again.

Lidia North admits to Martha that she lied to the court to protect her husband; Martha refuses to treat her.

Martha discovers letters in Burgess's saddle bag threatening the Ballards' property lease, revealing North's scheme to seize the mill.

Martha notices a piece of lace in Sam Dawin's pocket during a routine visit and connects it to Burgess's crimes.

Sally unexpectedly gives birth and names the baby Jonathan, revealing that Martha's son is the father.

Jonathan admits to Martha that the rope Sam used to pull himself from the river was covered in blood.

Martha tells Jonathan she knows he helped murder Burgess and instructs him to ask Ephraim about Billy Crane.

Pool 3 traces the evidence trail and emotional disclosures that gradually shape Martha's understanding of both crimes. From Sam Dawin's early testimony about the missing rope to the covert inspection of Burgess's body, Martha assembles the truth through fragments gathered across months of investigation. A flashback to Martha's own rape and Billy Crane's hanging illuminates the painful history she shares with North, adding dark irony to her pursuit of justice. Critical turning points—Lambard's independent murder assessment, the bloody rope, the incriminating lace in Sam's pocket—slowly converge to name the real killer. The pool closes with Martha choosing to protect her family by keeping Jonathan's role in the murder secret, a decision that allows a form of justice to exist entirely outside the corrupted court system.

The key clues, confessions, and revelations that crack both the murder and rape cases.