Cadence, Bess, Margaret, and Gram have another book club meeting. After discussing The Song of Bernadette, Cadence mentions producing pocket-size books for soldiers to carry. They put book titles in an empty cookie jar, and Gram pulls out Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises (1926). They then produce a prototype.

Finished with the book, Bess and Cadence attend a USO (United Services Organization) dance, where Cadence has a flirty exchange with Major Gilbert, who hints that he’ll avoid Cadence’s land if Cadence writes a positive portrayal of the soldiers to counter ill feelings they may cause if they damage land belonging to residents. Major Gilbert also admits that there have been fewer fights among the soldiers since they’ve started to read.

Major Gilbert introduces Cadence to the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) journalist Amelia Wilmont, who strikes Cadence as snobbish. Jokingly, Bess claims Amelia is taking Cadence’s “future husband.”

After burning the classified documents in Gram’s fireplace, Briar heads to Sandra’s small, cluttered shop. Sandra is cantankerous and has epilepsy, which she treats with anti-seizure medication and coffee. She appreciates Briar’s masculine style.

Briar shows Sandra Mr. Schmidt’s photos, but Sandra isn’t impressed. They discuss the possibility that Mr. Schmidt was a Nazi. Briar then wonders if Tyson could be a Nazi. She then shows Sandra the ring, which generates a strong reaction.

Winnie gives Cadence and Bess a ride home from the USO dance, and after Cadence shows Winnie the special-sized book, Winnie invites Cadence to show it to her friends from G. P. Putnam. 

Bess wakes up in pain, so they go to the doctor, who determines that Bess is pregnant (Tom is the father). Bess tells the nurse to charge her mother’s account, but her mother, Lydia Stanhope, won’t pay for the visit. Mrs. Stanhope appears and castigates Bess. Bess’s pregnancy is “high risk,” but she refuses to return to her comfortable family life.

The chapter ends with an “Up-Island Happenings” article. Cadence adopts a gentle tone, encouraging residents not to cause a fuss if the war games damage property. She then notes her book club and its next title, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway (1925).

Sandra tells Briar that the Nazi ring is an “SS honor ring” and that only the SS chief, Heinrich Himmler, can award it. About the inscription, she claims someone is probably looking for Kuno. Briar wonders if Himmler’s nickname for Mr. Schmidt was Kuno. Sandra suspects Major Gilbert and suggests that the ring might bring life-or-death danger. After Briar sells Sandra the ring for $2,000, Sandra says everything will be fine.

At the Edgartown Yacht Club, Cadence meets Winnie’s Putnam friends, Celia St. Germain and Dolores Reinhart. They praise Cadence’s column and the writing she does for the Bay Book Club members. Celia and Dolores attended prestigious colleges, but Cadence didn’t bother to apply. She couldn’t leave Gram, nor could she afford tuition. Celia and Dolores don’t judge Cadence, and they marvel at the ranking system she developed for the 600-plus novels that she’s read. Celia wants Cadence to work in New York.

Cadence shows the women the prototype for the special-sized books, and the women are impressed. Celia claims they’ll be more popular than “pinups” and promises to tell a former Navy librarian about the idea. They also invite her to visit New York tomorrow. They can take her on the Putnam yacht, Never Moor.

On the beach, Briar finds a man who has almost drowned. He lies face down in a shirt and underwear. She considers calling the authorities, but their condescending treatment makes her hesitant. She assumes the man is from a German U-boat. She wonders if the other crew members are watching her. Using a tarp and a blanket, she drags the man to their rickety boat house. The man starts to shake, and Briar goes to consult with Gram.

Cadence excitedly tells Bess, Margaret, and Gram about her interaction with Winnie and the Putnam women. Margaret connects the yacht’s name, Never Moor, to the Edgar Allan Poe poem, “The Raven“ (1845). As Cadence packs for her trip, Briar enters, stating that she has “found something.”

Briar brings Bess, Margaret, Cadence, and Gram to the boathouse to show them the man she found, who is now unconscious. The group expresses compassion. On the man’s person, they find a picture of a child and a French pamphlet. Briar says the Nazi submarines operate out of Lorient, France.

The man wakes. His name is Peter Muller, and he claims he’s a medic, not a “criminal.” He hates Hitler and faked his death to get away from his crew. He was born in Germany but grew up in Minnesota. His family returned to Germany when he was in middle school. They stayed, and he married and had a daughter (the child in the picture). His wife and mother got sick on the trip back to Minnesota. They died, but his daughter survived and lives with his grandmother in Minnesota. Peter wanted to leave, but the Nazis conscripted him.

The women debate their options. They think about how they’d want someone to care for Tom if Tom were in a similar situation. They also remember the Nazi spies that the American government executed. Briar thinks she should speak to McManus before they make a decision.

Cadence expresses her fraught reaction to Peter and wonders if Margaret, who likes to talk, will “blab” about him. As Cadence feels obligated to stay with her family and deal with Peter, Margaret goes on the Putnam yacht, spends a day in New York City, and sells the special-sized books.

Back at the farm, Cadence holds a book club meeting to create “normalcy.” Major Gilbert arrives with news that the Smith boat might float away. Cadence offers to go to the boathouse to get the sand anchor; she doesn’t want anyone else entering the boathouse, since that’s where Peter is hidden. However, Major Gilbert has already sent a soldier, Private Jeffers, to the boathouse to get it.

McManus suggests that Briar write a story instead of trying to catch U-boats, and Briar uses the suggestion as an opportunity to speak to McManus about Peter and Nazi spies. They discuss Operation Pastorius, where eight naturalized Germans arrived in New York and Florida from U-boats. Eventually, two of the Nazis defected. They received prison sentences, while the other six died in the electric chair. The families are also in trouble.

Cadence runs to the boathouse, where she meets Private Jeffers and obstructs his progress. She claims the boathouse is messy and structurally unsafe. She doesn’t want Private Jeffers to get hurt. Fortunately, Peter is quietly asleep. Before Private Jeffers leaves, he asks about Gram’s promise to make a pie from a soldier’s home state. Cadence confirms that Gram will comply with any soldier’s request.

Briar returns from her talk with McManus and declares that they can’t turn Peter in. The government will likely execute him, people in Martha’s Vineyard will “panic,” and Tom might receive a dishonorable discharge. Gram insists that they alert the authorities. Peter thinks he can change Gram, Briar, and Cadence’s minds.