Instead of training, Puck sits on the cliff and watches the other riders. Sean sits down beside her, commenting on her intelligence in knowing that there is more to the race than training. She offers him a local pastry, a November cake, and they discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the other riders.

Sean warns her that the men will still try to stop her from competing, as they value the reputation of the races. He then tells her that “other people have never been important to him” (206), and Puck responds with, “And now?” Instead of answering, Sean thanks her for the cake and leaves. Puck feels like she learned something about Sean and the race through the conversation but isn’t sure what.

Sean returns to the stables determined to speak to Malvern. He finds him looking at the track, annoyed that the horses did not perform as they should for the buyers. Sean goes out and speaks with the rider, scolding him for not being firm with his horse. Sean can tell that he is afraid, so he takes his switch. Once Sean is holding it, the horse changes its demeanor. When Sean gives the rider the switch again, the horse takes off, now performing much better than it was.

Sean returns to Malvern’s side. He tells him that he wants to buy Corr. Malvern scolds him, adamant that he has already told Sean no. Sean admits that Corr means too much to him. His father rode Corr first, and then Sean trained him for years; he feels like Corr is part of him. Despite this explanation, Malvern refuses to listen, adamant that he won’t sell him. Sean thinks of Puck’s courage at the festival and then of Mutt, who is risking his life to achieve some fame. He tells Malvern that he quits. In response, Malvern insists that he can find someone else to do Sean’s work and ride Corr. Sean forces himself to shake Malvern’s hand and walk away.

Puck trains near the beach, sensing the coming storm and her limited opportunity to practice. However, she is interrupted by several boys. From the backs of their capaill, they taunt her and make fun of Dove, who is clearly afraid. Puck does her best to reign Dove in and back away from the boys, but they close in on her. When one of the capaill nips at Dove, drawing blood, Puck yells at them. She notes how afraid she sounds. Her reaction causes the boys to back away, looking at her with pity. When they finally leave, Puck is furious at herself for showing that she is not at all prepared to be among the capaill in the race.

That night, Puck and Finn eat dinner out in the pasture inside the lean-to Dove sleeps in. Puck is adamant that she wants to be outside as often as she can before the storm hits. It has already begun to rain lightly.

Puck and Finn talk about the race. Finn questions what will happen if Puck loses. She admits that they will lose the house, she will probably have to sell Dove, and they will have to get jobs. She mentions Thomas Gratton needing an apprentice, suggesting she take the position. However, Finn is adamant that he can manage to work as a butcher, especially after everything Puck has done for the race.

Their conversation is interrupted by a noise outside the lean-to. Puck realizes that it is a capall pushing its head against the wall. It leans in and stares at Dove as Puck and Finn sit silently. Just when they think it is going to attack, their cat, Puffin, calls across the pasture. The capall darts after it. Puck and Finn scramble from the lean-to, and then Gabe calls to them from a nearby car driven by Tommy. Puck puts Dove on a rope, and she and Finn get into the car, with Dove trailing behind them. Puck and Finn are clearly shaken by the encounter, while Gabe insists that they have to get to safety.

Tommy drives to the Gratton house. Beech greets them, showing Puck where to leave Dove and inviting them inside. Finn goes to the bathroom to wash his hands, and Puck joins him. They are annoyed at how comfortable Gabe is, noting that he likely comes here often instead of going home. Gabe fetches them from the bathroom and tells them that dinner is ready. Everyone eats in silence. After, Gabe and Puck sleep in Beech’s room.

After lying in silence for a while, Puck asks Gabe why he came to rescue her and Finn if he is just going to leave them on the island in a few weeks. Gabe confesses that he “can’t bear it anymore” on the island (234). Puck is unable to understand why he is desperate to leave, as all the things he hates—the sea, the fish, and horses—she loves. However, she realizes that she will never change his mind, as his desire to leave is stronger than his love for her and Finn.

A capall scream wakes Sean in the night, his last in the apartment Malvern owns. He debates whether to help at the stables. Although he is adamant that the horses are no longer his responsibility, he realizes that he cannot let any of them die. He gets dressed and goes out into the storm just as Daly arrives to ask for help.

The stables are in chaos. Outside, the “screaming” continues, striking fear in all the horses, who buck and try to break out. Sean goes to Corr’s stall and finds him restless and struggling. Sean manages to calm him down and then takes him out into the night. Outside, several horses that normally stay in another pasture are there. One is badly injured, signaling that the capall has attacked. Sean sees Malvern standing nearby with a shotgun but ignores him. Instead, he urges Corr to call out. When Corr begins screaming, the sound of the other capall stops. Corr marks the territory as his, scaring away any water horses nearby. Finally, the night falls silent, and Sean knows that he succeeded. However, as he turns to go back into the stables, Malvern insists that “[t]his changes nothing” (241).

The next evening, after the storm subsides, Puck and her brothers return home. After Gabe and Finn leave in the car, Puck stands with Peg, waiting to ride Dove. She thanks Peg for letting them stay. Peg warns her again about entering the race, insisting that some of the riders will do whatever they can to stop her. Puck questions whether Sean is one of them, and Peg guesses that Puck is interested in Sean romantically. She warns Puck against trying to “be treated like a man” (243), warning her that it will insult them and make Sean uninterested in her. However, Puck insists that she just “want[s]” to be left alone” (243). As Puck rides home, she notes how peaceful the island looks.

Sean goes into the ocean, feeling the calm after the storm. He “whispers” to it, praying both that Corr will be treated well now that Sean has left him and that Corr will cause trouble for Malvern to prove that Sean is valuable.

The next morning, Puck goes to the beach to watch the others train for the races. She sees Mutt, Daly, and the head stableman, David Prince, leading Corr to the beach. She spots Sean nearby, anxiously watching, and decides to go to him. As they watch, Mutt attaches bells to Corr, which startle him when he moves. Puck notes how barbaric it is and questions how she would feel if someone did the same to Dove. She offers sympathy to Sean, noting how unfair it all is.

Mutt gets on to ride Corr. As Mutt taunts Sean, Corr suddenly gets aggressive. Sean calls out to Prince but is too late; Corr bites Prince in the neck. Mutt is thrown from Corr, falling into the sand. Puck and Sean rush down to the beach. As Sean gets Corr under control, Puck tries to help Prince, who desperately grips her hand as he dies. Sean takes off his shirt and puts it to Corr’s nose, using his scent to calm him. He gives the rope holding Corr to Puck while he cuts the bells from him. Finally, Corr calms down. When Puck questions what they will do with Prince, Sean curtly says that he is dead and then asks for his jacket. Puck is shocked by Prince’s death and the cavalier way Sean speaks of it. As she retrieves his jacket, she notes how bloody and stained it is and offers to clean it for him—though she is unsure why. Puck is still in shock as Sean leads Corr off the beach, passing by an equally stunned Mutt.

Sean goes to the hotel where Malvern asked to meet. He realizes that they are meeting in the lobby so that the tourists will overhear the “advertisement” for Malvern’s horses. Malvern tells Sean that he will sell him Corr only if Sean wins this year’s race. If he loses, Sean has to promise never to bring it up again. Sean asks how much Malvern is asking, and Malvern tells him $300—twice Sean’s yearly salary. Sean considers and then forces Malvern to lower the price to $200, noting how Malvern has no one else to care for the capaill without Sean. Malvern begrudgingly agrees.

Puck goes to confession and tells Father Mooneyham about Prince’s death. However, Father Mooneyham is adamant that Puck did nothing wrong, as she would not have had the power to save him. Puck then talks about Gabe, crying in the booth and insisting that Gabe doesn’t have to leave. Father Mooneyham reveals that Gabe has come to confession, too, and has cried in here as well. He questions why Puck feels that she needs to ride in the races. She tries to say that they need the money but then realizes Father Mooneyham is making a point: She wants to do it, just as Gabe wants to leave. She notes how selfish she is for trying to stop Gabe from leaving after he has cared for her and Finn for years.

Puck asks Father Mooneyham to absolve her of her sins. However, Father Mooneyham assures her that she did nothing that needs forgiving.

Puck finds Sean in Malvern’s stables. She watches as he delicately wraps Corr’s legs in seaweed. After several moments, Sean sees her and thanks her for the jacket. She offers to put it down somewhere but is relieved when Sean invites her to stay until he finishes. She realizes that she desperately wants to be near him. As Sean works, Puck asks if he is working for Malvern again. He tells her about their deal; he claims that he will win the race and move back to his father’s house, leaving life in the stables behind him. He then asks what Puck will do if she wins, but she jokes instead of answering seriously. She realizes that she is not yet prepared to talk to him about Gabe or her troubles.

When Sean finishes, he asks Puck if she is afraid of Corr. She thinks back to him killing Prince but also to how majestic he is when Sean rides him. In the end, she acknowledges that she doesn’t fully trust Corr. She questions how Sean can love him, and Sean counters that Puck “love[s] the island” and it isn’t “any different” (285). She realizes that he is right; she loves the island despite its danger and the fact that there are many ways it will likely kill her. Sean invites Puck to ride Corr with him.

Sean thinks back to October when he was eight years old, one year before his mother left for the mainland and two before his father died. A strong storm had just ended, and Sean’s father took him to the cliffs overlooking the ocean. As they watched, capaill uisce climbed from the ocean. Sean acknowledges that that was when he “loved” them for the first time.

On the cliffs in the present, Sean watches as Puck looks up at Corr. He knows that he “want[s] her to love” Corr (287), too.

Sean has Puck get onto Corr first and hold the reins; then he gets on behind her. He invites her to keep the reins. She can feel him pressing into her back, and her pulse races. Puck signals Corr to gallop, and then Sean urges him into a sprint. As they race down the cliffs, Puck is struck by Corr’s sheer speed, knowing that Dove won’t be able to compete with him. She is also awed by the island, feeling as though she sees it more fully from Corr’s back. Sean asks if she is afraid. She doesn’t know what she is feeling but knows it isn’t fear.

When they return to their starting point, they both dismount. Puck’s pulse is racing wildly. Sean grabs her wrist and presses his fingers to it, holding it for several moments. Finally, he pulls away and tells her that he will see her tomorrow.