- School's out for summer. Pearl takes her exams and cleans out her locker before the break.
- Once school is finished, she spends a lot of time going down to the river and taking photos. She's not sure if Amiel sees her or not.
- She doesn't see Greenie much because she spends all her time with Hickey.
- As for Pearl's mom, she's at the bookstore working all the time, so they don't see much of each other either.
- One day, one of the moths hatches. Pearl and her mom are excited, and eagerly await another one to hatch so the two can mate.
- Before long, though, the moth dies. Pearl's mom realizes they all might die, so she beats them to the punch, soaking them all in hot water, drying them in the sun, and plucking the silk from each one of them.
- It's slow work, but she's patient and teases away at them.
- When she's gotten a ball of silk out of the worms, she throws the cocoons in the trash. It's time to call this one done.
- Pearl goes for a hike in the woods and runs into—who else?—Amiel.
- They play hide-and-go-seek for a while before Pearl asks him questions about his life. He answers by nodding or shaking his head, or writing the words on the ground with a stick.
- She notices a photo of a woman and asks if it's his mom.
- It turns out it is, but he doesn't write to her anymore.
- As Pearl asks him where he cooks his food, he takes her by the hand and shows her the fire pit he built. She feels more connected to him than ever, but knows she can't do anything about it, so she leaves.