Summary

Before catching up with Bea on her journey to the Lower Valley, the narration briefly backtracks into the past in order to provide a descriptive overview of the “Big Walk” up to that point. The Community had been walking for months through new and varied landscapes: grasslands, valleys, sage seas, and deserts (61). The narrator rejoins the present-day plot near the end of their long walk. Believing they have nearly reached the post, they make camp for the night in a barren landscape. Here, Carl and Glen argue about how to find a water source and Bea expresses her love for Agnes while brushing her tangled hair.

The next day, Bea watches Agnes play around exuberantly with some birds and is in awe at her physical recovery, remembering the time when her poor health prevented her from even breathing with ease. She remembers a...