Winter Summary

Relentless cold and snow, injured feet, no privacy and loneliness plague the refugees. Lily goes out to search for her elder sister and learns that men were looking for her. Snow Flower's husband becomes a champion of the refugees, providing firewood and meat and being a guardian. His mother continues to complain, hoarding food and blankets and suggesting they stop feeding Snow Flower's oldest, weaker son. They want to save Lily because they think there will be a reward for doing so, so Lily shares her portions of food with them, but they are all malnourished and weakening.

Snow Flower's oldest, unloved son takes to Lily, who teaches him about men's writing and other lessons she has overheard. She tells him a story of a boy who finds a benefactor and lives to turn his back on those who had treated him badly...