NOW

Scott drives Abbi to her second day back at school. Abbi asks if Scott thinks Kate will move to her own place, and Scott starts asking questions. Abbi says she has not spoken to Kate about it, but she wants to move in with Kate and Shiloh to maximize her time with them before going to college. Scott appreciates that Abbi is asking him first, but he says he wants to discuss it with Meredith.

THEN

The chapter switches to Kate’s perspective. The group buries Willow, and Abner says they are returning her to the earth. Kate is disgusted and struggles with the guilt of having killed Willow.

Bekah goes into labor, but Kate knows something is not right. At first, all the women gather in the birthing tent, but as time goes on, everyone leaves but Kate and Margo. The baby’s feet are positioned to come out first, a breech birth, and Kate and Margo do not know how to respond. Bekah keeps passing out from the pain and blood loss. 

Abner does not have a solution, but he starts a fight with Sam, who wants to be with Bekah. When Sam refuses to leave the tent, Abner shoots him, orders others to carry Sam out, and sends Kate to get his knife. Kate is scared and angry, but she goes to Abner’s tent for the knife.

NOW

Meredith struggles to sleep after drinking with her book club, but she likes that no one in the club brought up her situation. At 4:12 am, Meredith resolves to get up and make breakfast for everyone. She finds Kate in the kitchen talking on the phone, but Kate quickly hangs up when she sees Meredith. 

Meredith asks who Kate was talking to, but Kate denies having been on the phone. She gets an apple from the refrigerator, claiming she only came to the kitchen for a snack. Meredith wakes Scott and tells him what happened, but Scott is not concerned. Meredith begs him to ask Dean about it, but Scott goes back to sleep.

NOW

Abbi debates posting on the Vanished forum, a website for discussing missing persons, knowing that she should not reveal any information. The forum is comforting to Abbi, and she wants Kate’s followers to know she is doing okay. Abbi sees a new post from someone named Gloria, whose post reads: “Kate Bennett is a dead woman” (200).

THEN

The chapter switches to Kate’s perspective. Bekah dies during childbirth, and Sam dies of his gunshot wound. Their baby boy survives, and Kate carries him through the woods as the group flees the burning camp. After Abner cut the baby out of Bekah, who was already dead, he ordered everyone to set the camp on fire, comparing their departure to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abner claims the camp is cursed, citing Bekah and Sam’s deaths as evidence, and Kate notes that Abner was the only person who remained calm throughout the chaos.

NOW

Scott calls Dean and asks about the death threat Abbi found on the forum and the call Meredith witnessed Kate make. Dean says not to worry about either. Abbi goes to school, and Scott goes to work. Meredith checks the phone records, knowing that the most recent call will not have been posted, but she finds another call to an unknown number at 2:30 am two nights prior. Meredith does not trust Kate.

THEN

The chapter switches to Kate’s perspective. The group buries Sam and Bekah next to each other, and no one questions the process of loading the vans and leaving. They drive for three days, and Abner asks Kate to sit with him while he drives. Kate says no one will forget what happened, but Abner insists that everything is going according to the prophecy. Abner asks if she trusts him, and she knows she does not. He killed Sam, but he insists that “God” strikes down those who disobey him. In order to get him to leave her alone, Kate reluctantly says she trusts Abner, and Abner says he feels a special connection with Kate.

The group settles at an abandoned RV campground, and Abner addresses the group. He shares their grief that Bekah died during childbirth, lying that Bekah asked Abner to take care of the child. Kate is uncomfortable, and she sees some other members shifting, too. 

Abner says they are all a family, and children are everyone’s responsibility. He calls up the other six children in the group, including Anne and Michael’s sons, Chad, Shane, and Ben. Abner stands behind the children and calls them “soldiers” who will succeed where the adults have failed. Everyone chants and claps, but Kate and some others remain still.

NOW

Scott invites Meredith to go for a walk and asks if she is feeling better, referring to the death threat. Meredith does not care about the threat, but she is concerned about the phone call. Scott says they need to allow Kate space to do what she wants, and Meredith gets angry, noting that Kate lied about the call. Meredith presses Scott to tell Dean and the FBI team about the call, wondering what else Kate might lie about.

Meredith hears Kate leave her room at night, waits a moment, then follows her to catch her on the phone. Kate hangs up mid-sentence when she sees Meredith enter the kitchen. Meredith confronts Kate, who denies being on the phone and tries to leave, but Meredith blocks her. 

Kate asks why Meredith is “doing this” to her but gets angry when Meredith is not swayed by Kate’s tears. Kate breaks away, and Meredith goes to Scott, telling him what happened. Scott blames Meredith for “spying” on Kate, and Meredith questions why Scott trusts her after she left him for 11 years. She apologizes, but Scott leaves to check on Kate.

NOW

Abbi hears Scott and Meredith arguing in the other room, and she cannot stop thinking about Gloria’s post. Abbi registers to post on Vanished and replies to Gloria, asking why she wants Kate dead.

THEN

The chapter switches to Kate’s perspective. She and Margo work together, and Kate notices Bekah’s son, Miles, walking with Abner. Abner spends most of his time with Miles, and Margo notices Kate watching them. Margo reveals that Abner loves Miles because Bekah was “his.” Kate does not understand.

Margo explains that people need to prove their loyalty or make exchanges to become disciples. When Will wanted to bring Margo into discipleship, Abner wanted to have sex with Margo in exchange. Will refused and offered to bring Abner a virgin instead. Margo met Bekah at a Christian group in Atlanta and brought her to Abner. 

Kate is disgusted, and she realizes that she, too, must have been tricked or exchanged. Margo says they brought Kate in to prove that they could get someone with a loving family and successful career to give up their life for Love International. Margo tries to explain that Kate’s decisions are still her own, but Kate feels sick and goes back to her tent.

NOW

Meredith listens as Scott talks to Kate, who denies making any phone calls. She interrupts and says she caught Kate, but Kate says it is not her business. Meredith says they should not keep secrets, and Kate tells Scott to tell Meredith what he and Kate argued about on the day she left.

THEN

The chapter switches to Kate’s perspective. Margo grabs Kate on their way to a midday meeting. She begs Kate not to tell Abner that she knows about the exchanges and tests. Kate says she will not, noting that she would not wish a “reckoning” on anyone. Margo and Kate both know that Abner has been acting strangely, and Margo apologizes for getting anyone into this mess. 

Abner gives a speech about procreation, saying that people from the outside are going to try to steal what Love International has made, and they need children to be their soldiers in that battle. He wants them to start procreating as much as possible, and he declares that the bonds of marriage are no longer relevant. Anyone can have sex with anyone they please, and Abner says he intends to do his part as well.

NOW

Kate excuses herself, and Meredith turns to Scott, demanding that he tell her what happened on the day Kate disappeared. Scott says he and Kate got into an argument. Following the 2008 housing market crash, Scott and Kate were struggling financially. She found out that he took out a second mortgage on their house and told him she was disappointed in him. He expected Kate to be angry, but her disappointment made him angry. 

Meredith questions why Scott never told the police, Abbi, or Meredith. Scott says he knew the argument would make the police focus on him, which would be unproductive, and over time, his lie became the truth for him. Meredith is upset, but Scott says she never told him the full truth about her marriage to James, either.

NOW

Scott forces Abbi to go over Meaghan’s house, but she wants to be in her own house, just in case someone responds to her Vanished comment. Meaghan talks about other kids at school, but Abbi feels like she grew up overnight, making the gossip seem childish.

Meredith tries to talk to Abbi when she gets home the next day, but Abbi feels uncomfortable talking to Meredith without Scott present. Meredith asks about what Abbi and Kate do at night, and Abbi says they just talk. Abbi often lets Kate use her phone, but she does not tell Meredith that. 

Abbi is uncomfortable, feeling like Meredith is trying to figure out some conspiracy. She sympathizes with Meredith, though, acknowledging that it is awkward for Scott to have his first wife back. Meredith says she wants Abbi to be safe, and Abbi questions what could be unsafe about talking with her mother.

THEN

The chapter switches to Kate’s perspective. She tries to go to Abner’s tent unnoticed, even though Abner announces his “maiden” selection each day. At first, Kate was disgusted by the thought of sex with Abner, but their first few nights were just talking. When they eventually had sex, Kate resented how much she enjoyed it. Today, Abner calls on her in the afternoon, which is unusual.

Kate vomits one morning and realizes she is pregnant. She is the first woman to get pregnant under Abner’s new procreation mandate, but she feels a mix of pride and fear. She decides to keep the pregnancy a secret until she can tell Abner, who has become increasingly paranoid about “outsiders” attacking them.

NOW

Kate gathers everyone in the kitchen and announces that she wants to find a place to live, and she wants to bring Abbi with her. Meredith offers to help Kate find a new place, but Scott is unresponsive. Meredith voices their concern about letting Abbi leave to live with Kate, and Abbi gets angry, telling Meredith that she is not a part of the discussion. Scott criticizes Abbi for saying Meredith is not a part of the family and sends her to her room, but Abbi refuses to go, insisting that she will move with Kate.