With the addition of a store and a post office, Durilgai becomes an official town. The postmistress, Mrs. Gage, has a “no good” husband who cannot earn a living and seems mentally simple. On her way home from the post office one day, Amy sees two young women in a gig near the entrance to the wealthy Armstrongs’ property.

Amy is humbled seeing the young ladies; she has to remind herself of the life she possesses on her way home. When she reports the occurrence to Stan, he doesn’t even look up. However, knowing his wife wants to talk about the women, he suggests maybe one of them will marry young Armstrong. Amy feels restless, and they comment on the wind coming through.

The couple checks on the cows and converses with Fritz. In the evening, Stan watches as his wife knits, though he struggles to express himself in words. The two go to bed and feel connected to each other, but Amy gets up and worries about conceiving a child. Eventually, she does give birth to a son, Ray. Stan cannot relate to the baby and is awkward around his son.

On the other hand, Amy takes to motherhood and feels protective of the child. The couple have a daughter they name Thelma. She is weaker than Ray, pale, and almost sickly. Amy is frustrated by visits from the Quigleys, one time resulting in a conflict between Ray and Bub Quigley over the latter’s prized leaf.

When Mrs. O’Dowd visits, Amy asserts her superior knowledge of motherhood since her friend has no children. Mrs. O’Dowd comments on how small Thelma is and expresses concerns, but Amy insists she is healthy. The women argue over Amy “tak[ing] to breedun,” as Mrs. O’Dowd thought it wouldn’t happen. Amy insists it was meant to be, which offends her childless friend.

As Ray grows, he spends more time with his father, and Amy tries to force him to swear his love to her. She prefers Ray to Thelma. The family now has a dog named Blue, said to be Amy’s dog, and the dog has puppies. However, Ray reports that three of the puppies are missing, and the family presumes they are dead. Though they never learn what became of the pups, Stan suspects Ray had something to do with their disappearance.

One day, Thelma and Amy see a lady riding by on a horse. Amy learns from Mrs. O’Dowd that her name is Madeleine and that she is a beautiful, popular lady on whom young Armstrong has set his sights. Thinking of Madeleine makes Amy feel plain.

Sometime later, Amy goes on a walk with the children. Ray insists on climbing a tree and gets high enough to gain some perspective on the landscape and his own home. Thelma is tired of being outside and wants to go home, but then Ray spots Madeleine riding again. Amy wants to see her, so they wait for her to ride by, and Thelma asks why the lady is always riding. That night, Amy has a dream about riding horses with Madeleine.

Mrs. O’Dowd sends a note that she needs a friend, so Amy prepares to visit after finishing her morning chores. As she travels, Amy hopes she will not encounter death in the O’Dowds’ home; she doesn’t think she has the strength or the experience. She arrives at a quiet scene outside, if somewhat disordered. In the house, she finds remnants of several unfinished domestic tasks before Mrs. O’Dowd approaches her and tells her it is Mr. O’Dowd: he is on a drunken bender.