Five years pass and little changes. It is now 1810, and Belle has lived for a long time without her son, Jamie. In the interim, Tall Oaks has continued to decline. Marshall drinks as much as ever, but now he gambles as well. He also has sold land and slaves to pay debts.

Will Stephens has prospered but worries about Lavinia and the others. He tried to check on her once, but Marshall threatened him with a gun.

Belle knows of Lavinia’s laudanum addiction from the periodic visits of the Tall Oaks servants. Those visits, however, have become more infrequent because Rankin polices the grounds heavily and Marshall has threatened to sell any slave who disobeys him.

Belle has been raising George. He lives with Belle, and she is struck by Lucy’s generosity in sharing her and Ben's son. The three-way arrangement is not without its difficulties, and at different times both women are exasperated with Ben. Belle knows that even with George, she still has an empty place in her heart without Jamie.

At Tall Oaks, Jamie has grown considerably and is now thirteen years old. He spends nearly all of his time with Miss Martha, and everyone in the house worries about how close they are. Papa is anxious to move Jamie out of the big house so he can start to learn the duties associated with the farm. Mama Mae presses the issue with Lavinia, noting Jamie’s elevated view of himself. She tells Lavinia that as far as the world is concerned, Jamie is black no matter how light-skinned he is. Despite his eye problem, Jamie proves to be very intelligent and an avid studier; he reminds Lavinia of Meg.

Finally, Lavinia agrees to sit Jamie down for a talk. She decides to get Belle’s free papers to help explain his parentage. As she is getting them, Jamie enters the room and surprises her. Caught off guard, Lavinia slips off of the chair she is standing on and falls to the floor. She is knocked unconscious, and without Marshall around to consult, the servants send for the doctor. He requests that the household staff observe Lavinia very closely and tells her that she cannot have any laudanum while she is recovering. Marshall eventually learns of Lavinia’s fall but does not come to visit her.

As she begins to regain her strength, it occurs to Lavinia that she doesn’t know where Belle’s free papers are and wonders if Jamie took them. When Elly comes to visit Lavinia, she tearfully asks if her mother will continue to take the laudanum drops. As her daughter recalls Lavinia’s disconnectedness under the drug’s influence, Lavinia realizes how much she has been neglecting Elly. She promises that she is done with laudanum and makes Mama and the others promise not to give it to her. Lavinia’s cravings come back once she recovers, but Mama doesn’t give in and Elly never learns of her mother’s near relapse.