Maia has breakfast with Floriano and Valentina and then helps Valentina pack her suitcase for a stay with her grandparents. Floriano is preparing for his trip to Paris for his book launch. Before he leaves town, he and Maia spend the day together; he tells her that she needs to relax and have some fun. Floriano takes Maia to visit a friend in the favela. There, they watch a group of children practicing a samba dance for Carnival.

Floriano invites Maia to dinner and samba dancing that night. He takes her shopping to buy the colorful dress and high-heeled shoes that he thinks are necessary for the evening out. They buy a peach-colored, figure-hugging dress. Maia is shy to wear something so uncharacteristic but likes the way it looks. They enjoy dancing at the samba club and share their first kiss before going home together. Floriano invites Maia to come to Paris with him.

Maia receives a letter from Yara; Beatriz would like Maia to visit her at the hospice facility.

The next morning, Maia visits Beatriz and Yara at the hospice. Beatriz explains her reticence to Maia; she did not want to be the one to tell Maia the hard truths about Cristina. As a child, Cristina was a bully. She struggled to feel or express empathy toward others, and this continued into her teenage and adult years. She skipped school to drink and spend time in dangerous neighborhoods, and she reacted with extreme rage when her parents tried to step in. Eventually, Cristina stole the emerald necklace and earrings that Bel received on her 18th birthday. She also started using drugs. The situation escalated until Beatriz and her husband decided that they could no longer allow Cristina to live in their house unless she sought their help and stopped using drugs. Cristina left, and Beatriz never saw her again. However, a friend of Beatriz’s volunteered at an orphanage and recognized Cristina when she dropped off infant Maia. Before Beatriz could make the arrangements to adopt Maia, she had already been adopted by Pa Salt.

Hearing the story of her mother inspires Maia to find some way to reach out to her son; she wants him to know why she put him up for adoption if he seeks out that information.

The next day, Beatriz tells Maia about her time in Paris. There, she sought out Laurent Brouilly because he was the artist behind the beautiful sculpture of her mother. She never knew that Laurent was actually her father but appreciated the kindness and interest that he showed her. Beatriz decides that Casa das OrquÍdeas and the family’s country house will go to Maia upon her death.

After speaking with Beatriz, Maia buys a plane ticket to join Floriano in Paris.

In Paris, Floriano takes Maia to the park where Laurent and Bel said their goodbyes. In the spot, there is a nude sculpture of Bel created by Laurent. The hands of the sculpture look exactly like the hands of Christ the Redeemer.

Floriano and Maia leave Paris and travel to Lake Geneva so that Floriano can see Atlantis. In Pa Salt’s study, they discover a tiny replica of the Cristo that is signed by Paul Landowski. The next morning, Floriano will fly back to Brazil. Maia dreads saying goodbye, so she avoids him until the last possible minute, only saying a quick farewell before sending him on his way. She instantly regrets her actions, which were motivated by fear. Floriano understands her well and leaves a note for her. He declares his love for her and encloses the inscription that Bel wrote on the soapstone tile: “Love knows not distance; it hath no continent, its eyes are for the stars” (452). He asks Maia to move to Rio to be with him and Valentina.

Maia visits Georg Hoffman. She makes arrangements to leave the Aires Cabral properties to her son in the event of her death. She also leaves a letter with the lawyer in case an adoption agency or her son ever contacts him. Ally then arrives at Atlantis to surprise Maia. Maia tells her sister all about her experiences in Brazil as well as about putting her son up for adoption.

Ally is the narrator of Chapter 51, which sets the stage for her book (The Storm Sister), the second book in the series.

Ally and Ma bid Maia farewell as she heads off to Rio to be with Floriano. Later, Ally is in Pa Salt’s study. She picks up the phone to make a call, but someone else is already on the line. She thinks she recognizes the voice, but they hang up before she is sure. No other information is given, setting up a mystery for the following novel.