A bear roaming freely through town attacks a man, immediately plunging the community into panic.

Fiona Nolan and Constance Van Ness begin their day. We see Fiona’s back, deeply marked by scars; Constance, in contrast, is helped by her maid as she puts on her shoes — a silent contrast between bodies, histories, and positions of power.

At the ranch, Dahlia hesitates as she passes the spot where she was attacked and where Willem was killed. The atmosphere is tense and heavy; everyone senses that something is deeply wrong.

In town, anxiety centers on the bear at large, but Constance is concerned only with the practical consequences — especially the mining operations, made even more urgent by Cornelius Vanderbilt’s impending arrival. Garret Van Ness suggests assembling a group to hunt down and kill the animal.

At the farm, Fiona speaks to everyone about the importance of keeping up appearances and avoiding suspicion. When they are asked to join the bear hunt — with the promise of financial compensation — they agree. Elias and Trisha exchange only a few words; she urges him to be careful. Albert watches in silence.

Once again, Constance tries to convince Fiona to sell her land, and once again receives a firm refusal.

Xavier interrupts Trisha while she is playing the piano. He reveals himself to be a cultivated man with musical knowledge — much to her surprise. He plays, flirts, and waits for Constance. Jack, her Indigenous assistant, clearly does not trust Xavier. When he is alone with Constance, Jack tells her there is no sign of Willem anywhere. It is bad news. She refuses to say it out loud, but she knows: her son is dead.

During the search for the bear, tension between Garret and Elias continues to escalate. No one manages to keep them apart. Everything suggests they will inevitably confront the animal — but they do not. Apparently, the trap works.

Fiona and Dahlia receive a visit from the town priest, a man who has known them for many years. He mentions that, now promoted to Monsignor, he will have to settle in Seattle. The women hesitate to confess what happened — the rape, the murder — especially Dahlia, who is paralyzed by fear. At church, Constance states that Willem is “in God’s hands” and looks almost offended when Fiona says she will pray for him.

Cornelius Vanderbilt finally arrives in town. Fiona makes it clear to Garret that if the mines fail to stabilize and turn a profit, Vanderbilt will withdraw his investment.

We do not hear Fiona and Dahlia’s confessions. But when the priest leaves town for the mines, Fiona reads one of his letters and runs after him. She discovers that the priest is being paid by Constance — precisely to extract their confessions and uncover the truth.

Surrounded by the Abandoned, the priest expects to be killed.

He is spared. Or is he, really?

And that only makes everything worse.