Summary

Lila does not arrive in Gilead intentionally; she is searching for Sioux City when she comes across an abandoned cabin in the woods, but when weeks of loneliness drive her into town, the rain forces her to seek shelter in the church where she first sees Reverend John Ames. She later seeks him out, and though he tells her about his life, her upbringing prevents her from reciprocating.

Lila acquires work in Gilead and decides to stay since she has no where else to go, and after learning about John's first wife and child, she begins tending to their graves. Feeling she owes him a kindness, she also begins cultivating his small garden, yet she shies away from being baptized, though she steals a Bible to learn about Christianity and posing questions to the Reverend in her mind makes her feel less...