The episode opens with Miles confronting Fiona. Visibly shaken, she admits that Constance knows the truth: the body that was buried was not Willem’s. Still, the matriarch chose to uphold the lie — and went even further. Constance also falsified the narrative surrounding the land vote, claiming that everyone refused to sell, when in fact the decision had favored the deal. Once again, truth is bent into whatever shape serves power.

At home, Constance erupts in fury. When Xavier walks in, believing something terrible has happened, she asks him to lock the door and stay the night with her. The next morning, cold and calculating, she demands that everything that occurred be forgotten, as though the moment itself were just another transaction to be erased.

Meanwhile, Fiona keeps postponing telling the Abandons what she actually said to Constance about the Van Ness deal. Elias presses her, sensing the evasion, but gets no answers.

For Constance, every attempt to aid the Indigenous people becomes meaningless once the government chooses to negotiate directly with the tribes. In her twisted logic, this is not defeat — it creates a debt. In her view, her “efforts” must be repaid. The price is brutal: she orders the Indigenous forces to attack Fiona and the others who refuse to sell their land. Jack confronts her, accusing her of sacrificing an entire people for a financial dispute. Constance’s response is absolute: she fires him and places even greater trust in Roache.

Another misunderstanding deepens the chaos. Thysa asks Jack about the deal, and he says the Abandons refused to sell. Troubled by the answer, she assumes Elias lied to seduce her, further eroding what little trust remained.

Roache accepts Constance’s dirty mission without hesitation. Garrett admits he has learned not to question his mother, but panics when he discovers Jack has been dismissed. He begs Jack to stay. Jack reveals he remained only because of a promise made to Emmett Van Ness to protect the family, and because of his bond with the boy. He agrees to help, fully aware that Constance and Roache want him dead. Garrett senses something is deeply wrong, though he cannot yet name the horror unfolding before him.

Amid the rising violence, small fragments of tenderness persist. Lucinda and Walter continue to flirt, with Elias encouraging the romance — a fragile, almost cruel contrast to the collapse happening around them.

Tensions explode when Roache rides out with the cavalry to block any peace agreement between the government and the Indigenous tribes. Garrett is horrified to realize just how far his mother is willing to go.

In town, Elias tries to speak with Trisha but is rejected: she accuses him of lying about the valley deal. Elias walks away confused, unable to grasp how the lie spread — or who authored it.

At last, Fiona tells the Abandons everything. She explains that Constance knew the truth about Willem and that anyone capable of trading her own son’s memory for land can never be trusted. The group confronts her in return: she had no authority to decide alone against the majority.

The conflict between Fiona and Elias reaches its breaking point. He is devastated. In his eyes, Fiona always acts in the name of faith, even when that faith traps everyone else. The argument turns physical. Cornered, Fiona confesses to every act she committed: feeding wolves with the soldier’s body, killing the priest, and making each extreme choice to protect those she considers family.

Meanwhile, Garrett and Jack attempt to stop Roache’s plan, but only manage to limit the damage — there are casualties. They separate. Garrett must return to try to change Constance’s mind; Jack heads off to “finish his mission,” fully aware that Roache and Constance want him dead.

Garrett then uncovers Miles’s true identity. When Constance challenges him, asking whether he will judge her, Garrett replies that they will act according to the law. Miles is, in fact, the fugitive Adam Winston — meaning he will be forced to sell his land or face the gallows. The others will follow. Constance appears to agree. But before any resolution can settle, Roache’s men burst in, demanding revenge and money. Roache responds instantly: he kills his own men. Trisha watches everything from a distance.

In the final gesture of absolute corruption, Garrett asks Roache to kill the witness, the servant Jenny, because she will testify to what she saw. Trisha also witnesses this order.

Back in the valley, the Abandons move in silence. Elias still disagrees with Fiona, but apologizes for what he said. On the road, they encounter Jack, who warns them plainly: hell is coming after them. Fiona does not hesitate. She orders everyone to be awakened. There is no room left for illusion — they must prepare for war.