Aibileen checks how much of the book Elizabeth has read based on her bookmark placement, but she’s still on Chapter 1. Miss Hilly comes over and says she’s on Chapter 7, and that the book feels like it’s about Jackson. With a wicked smile, Hilly vows to “figure out every last one of these people” (408). Since Hilly has taken an interest, Miss Leefolt has a renewed interest in the book, and starts reading faster, reading right through her own chapter.

One day, Mae Mobley comes home from preschool sad; she colored herself black in a drawing, and Miss Taylor told her, “black means I got a dirty, bad face” (409). Aibileen feels angry the teacher is contradicting everything she’s taught Mae Mobley. Later that day, Aibileen sees Louvenia at the grocery store, and they talk about the nervousness they feel about the book. They hear two white ladies talking about them, saying, “That’s the Nigra waits on Elizabeth” (410). Realizing that people might be putting two and two together, Aibileen prays that Hilly reads fast to Minny’s chapter so their insurance can kick in.

Hilly starts telling people to fire their maids, but she doesn’t even have the right people matched with the book chapters. Minny continues to worry that Leroy will figure out her involvement with the book. She’s thankful for the baby, since her pregnancy keeps him from beating her. Something wakes Minny up in the middle of the night, and intuitively, she knows it was Miss Hilly’s scream; Hilly finally reached the pie story in Minny’s chapter.

A scream wakes Skeeter from sleep too, except instead of Hilly’s scream, it’s Skeeter’s own, reminding her she needs to get out of Jackson. Skeeter sent resumes to several publishing companies in big cities, although she couldn’t list the book on her resume. Her mother is still weak, but doing better, and says she’s staying alive to watch over Skeeter’s wardrobe choices.

While at the drugstore getting her mother’s medicine, Skeeter gets pulled aside by Lou Anne, who reports that Hilly has been saying Skeeter wrote Help. Even though Hilly told Lou Anne to fire her maid Louvenia, Lou Anne never will. She says Louvenia is “the only reason she can get out of bed sometimes” (417), and Lou Anne admits she has depression. Lou Anne also mentions that today, Hilly strangely started telling people the book isn’t about Jackson, and upon hearing this news, Skeeter sighs in relief. As Lou Anne walks away, Skeeter realizes she misjudged Lou Anne, and should have been nicer to her. It hits Skeeter that this is what the book was all about: understanding that people are more similar than they realize.

Skeeter goes for a walk in her family’s orchard and finds Hilly sneaking around in her car. Hilly looks horrible; her hair is a mess, she has gained weight, and she has a sore on her mouth. Hilly accuses Skeeter of writing the book and threatens to have her thrown in jail. She goes to tell Skeeter’s mother about the book, but upon seeing the frail Mrs. Phelan, the tables are turned on Hilly. Mrs. Phelan tells Hilly she is not looking well, and Hilly is speechless. Facing Skeeter again after Mrs. Phelan goes inside, Hilly reveals that she recognized the L-shaped crack in Elizabeth’s dining table that they described.

Skeeter calls Aibileen to tell her that Hilly knows, but upon relaying Hilly’s words to Aibileen, realizes that Hilly is at a loss for what action to take. Minny reminds them that Hilly can’t tell anyone—even Elizabeth—because that means admitting Niceville is Jackson and that Hilly is the one who ate the pie. Skeeter also reveals she received a job offer from Harper’s Magazine in New York, but that she can’t take it. Skeeter feels unable to leave when things with the book are starting to snowball. Minny gets on the phone and says she and Aibileen will take care of each other. She reminds Skeeter she has nothing left to keep her in Jackson, “So don’t walk your white butt to New York, run it” (424). Realizing Minny is right, Skeeter decides to accept the job.

The bridge club ladies come over to Miss Leefolt’s house and everyone speculates about the book and who each chapter is about. Miss Hilly fairly screams that the book is not about Jackson.

Aibileen stops by Minny’s house one night. Minny shares a story about their friend Willie Mae. After reading the book, her employer asked if she treats her badly. They sat down together at the same table, and Willie Mae told her the good and bad of what white ladies have done to her over the years. Despite Minny and Aibileen’s fear, this story reminds them that their book is having a positive impact.

The next day at work, Mister Leefolt is home and overhears Mae Mobley and Li’l Man playing together. Mae Mobley is directing Li’l Man in a pretend sit-in at the drugstore counter, and then wants to pretend to be Rosa Parks on the bus. Mister Leefolt asks Mae Mobley where she learned these things, and Mae Mobley answers that Miss Taylor taught her. Right away, Mister Leefolt tells Elizabeth to gets Mae Mobley transferred to a new class, and Aibileen is overjoyed that Mae Mobley will be out from under Miss Taylor’s influence.

At work, Aibileen polishes some of Miss Hilly’s silver that Miss Leefolt borrowed. When she returns it, she hears from Hilly’s maid Ernestine that another white lady figured out her maid wrote a chapter about her. However, she said she couldn’t fire her maid, because then people would know the chapter was about her.

Skeeter stops to see Aibileen before she leaves for New York. She heard from Miss Stein that they are printing 5,000 more copies of the book since it is succeeding, which means more money for everyone who helped. Skeeter also explains she got Aibileen the job as the next Miss Myrna column writer at the newspaper. Aibileen gives Skeeter the signed book from the church congregation and tells her Constantine would have been proud of her, reassuring her that writing the book was the right thing to do despite the consequences it may bring.

Aibileen gets a call from Minny early the next morning. Leroy was fired because Mr. Holbrook, Hilly’s husband, told Leroy’s employer to fire him because of Minny’s part in the book. Leroy came home and locked Minny in the bathroom and said he would light the house on fire with Minny inside. Minny got away and ran to the gas station with the kids. With Aibileen’s encouragement over the phone, Minny resolves to leave Leroy for good and take the kids with her.

When Aibileen goes to work in the morning, Miss Leefolt and Miss Hilly are waiting for her. Hilly accuses Aibileen of stealing three pieces of silver that were missing from what was returned. Hilly says she is fired and plans to press charges against Aibileen. While Elizabeth is out of the room, Aibileen reminds Hilly she knows her secret, and will have plenty of time to tell everyone about the pie writing letters from jail. Hilly backs down from taking legal action, clearly afraid of the pie story getting out, but still makes sure Aibileen is fired. Aibileen says a tearful goodbye to Mae Mobley, but she is proud of Mae Mobley for remembering the positive words she instilled in her: that she is kind, smart, and important.

As Aibileen leaves, she is heartbroken to leave Mae Mobley, but also feels a newfound freedom. She realizes a new life lies ahead of her. She won’t be able to work as a maid again, but maybe she will continue to write “about all the people I know and the things I seen and done” (444).