Goodman spends the night in a holding cell. Lawyer Dick Peddy informs the Wolf family that Goodman will not be arraigned immediately and they should go home. Reporters question them as they leave. Ethan comforts Ash, promising to take care of her. Jules tries to rationalize the event as a misunderstanding, suggesting that Goodman mistook Cathy’s protests for passion.

The legal case dominates the Wolf household. Gil complains about the enormous legal bills. Goodman’s early admission to Bennington College is threatened. He becomes withdrawn, drinking and smoking in his room. Ash asks Jules to meet with Cathy, arguing that the lawyer’s prohibition on contact applied only to the family.

In February 1976, Jules meets Cathy at a coffee shop near Lincoln Center. Cathy insists Goodman raped her, describing physical evidence the doctor found. She accuses Jules of being unable to see the truth because of her devotion to the Wolfs, and reveals that Ethan has been calling her. He is the only one from their friend group to do so. When Jules suggests it might have been a misunderstanding, Cathy becomes furious and tells her to learn to think for herself before leaving.

Jules tells Ash that Cathy is genuinely hurt by what happened, which raises her doubts about Goodman’s innocence. Ash becomes furious and orders Jules to leave. After nearly two weeks, Ethan brokers a reconciliation, and Jules returns to the fold on the condition that she supports Goodman’s innocence. Ethan’s continued contact with Cathy upsets Ash and Goodman. One night, in a moment of despair, Betsy tells Ash that she finds the male of the species unknowable, briefly suggesting doubt about her own son.

In early April, Dr. Spilka leaves a message that Goodman missed his appointment. That afternoon, Ash discovers Goodman’s room is unusually clean and he is gone. His bank passbook, passport, and other documents are missing. Gil calls the Wunderlichs, but they have not seen him. Goodman fails to appear for his court date and a bench warrant is issued. The tabloids briefly cover the story before it is overshadowed by more violent crimes.

In May, Ash spends a weekend at Jules’s house in Underhill to escape the tension. Jules tries to hide ordinary items she finds embarrassing. Lois and Ash get along well. After Ash leaves, Jules returns the hidden items, only to find her mother has removed them again, suggesting Lois is aware of her daughter’s shame.

At the start of summer 1976, Ash, Jules, Ethan, and Jonah return to Spirit-in-the-Woods for a final summer. The camp feels different and younger. Gudrun does not return; she married in Iceland. The original staff, including the Wunderlichs, Ida Steinberg, and Ethan’s mentor, Old Mo Templeton, are older and feel more tired to the group.

Ash tells Jules a fairy tale about a brother who turns into a deer, expressing a fantasy that Goodman will return wounded so she can care for him. One night, Jules wakes to footsteps nearby, hoping it is Goodman. She realizes it is Ethan, who has snuck into their room to be with Ash. Jules lies awake, furious and jealous, listening to their intimacy.

For the year following that summer, Jules feels intensely lonely as Ash and Ethan deepen their relationship as lovers. Goodman’s disappearance enabled their romance to take hold. Ethan becomes integrated into the Wolf family. In April 1977, the friends receive college acceptances. Ash is going to Yale, Ethan to the School of Visual Arts, Jonah to MIT for robotics, and Jules to SUNY Buffalo.

Jules and Jonah commiserate as the only single members of their friend group. Ethan spends more time with the Wolfs, effectively moves into Goodman’s old room at the Labyrinth. Ash later confides that Ethan is a surprisingly good lover, which only deepens Jules’s loneliness. On the subway, Jules has a crisis, feeling unbearably alone.

The Wolf family plans a summer trip to Iceland. Ash invites Jules, all expenses paid. Ethan was also invited but cannot go, having chosen to care for Old Mo Templeton, who is sick, over a prestigious internship. Lois reluctantly allows Jules to go on the trip, though she is uncomfortable with the Wolfs’ generosity.

In July, Jules and the Wolfs fly first-class to Iceland. Upon arrival in Reykjavik, Jules develops severe food poisoning. When she recovers, she finds a note from Ash urging her to meet them at the nearby Café Benedikt. Walking through the bright Reykjavik night, Jules looks through the café window and sees Gudrun Sigurdsdottir, the Wolf family, and Goodman.

Inside, the family explains what happened. Homesick and desperate, Goodman had called home in March. He recounts his escape: He went to Spirit-in-the-Woods, where the cook Ida Steinberg gave him Gudrun’s contact information. He bought a fake passport in Boston, flew to Paris, and eventually reached Iceland, where he has been living with Gudrun and her husband, working in construction under the name “John.” Gil and Betsy have been secretly sending him money.

Ash reveals that Ethan does not know about Goodman. She fears his strict ethical code would compel him to report Goodman out of a sense of duty to Cathy. Gil extracts a promise from Jules to keep their secret. Betsy explains that Ash insisted on bringing Jules for emotional support outside the family. The Wolfs reunite with Goodman animatedly while Jules and Gudrun sit on the periphery.