While walking up the highway, the three notice a giant fire to the east and wonder if the people with painted faces have targeted another neighborhood. They stop and make camp for the night and argue about whether they should go scavenge in the wreckage of whatever’s burned. Ultimately, they decide against it.

At their camp that night, as the three of them privately grapple with the events of the last several days, Lauren notices Harry and Zahra sitting very close together. They talk about Earthseed, and Lauren senses that Harry’s perception of her has shifted somewhat.

Lauren wakes that night and realizes Harry and Zahra are having sex while Harry is supposed to be on watch. Lauren, angry, pretends to be asleep until they’re done and then confronts Harry. Later, she speaks with Zahra, too.

The next day, at a water station, the three interfere with an attempted robbery and notice that the would-be victims are sticking by them on the road.

Eventually, the three of them see the ocean for the first time in their lives. They camp on the shore and have a rare carefree night, taking turns swimming, washing their clothes, and enjoying the waves. Eventually, they even invite the family from the water station to join them, but the cautious family declines.

When dogs arrive and Lauren shoots one that has attempted to steal the couple’s baby, the family decides to join them at last. Their names are Travis and Natividad, and the baby is Dominic, called “Domingo.” They compare notes about their journeys, discuss their origin stories, and eventually begin to talk about Earthseed. During the conversation, Harry uses the wrong pronoun for Lauren, and the young family realizes she’s not a man after all.

Exercising rare trust among traveling strangers, the two groups decide to continue on together.