i
- We're back to Major Plunkett, who is coping with the loss of his wife.
- He remembers her as a woman of the 19th century, with her classic silhouette, taste in furniture, and lace collars—a total Victorian hottie.
- Plunkett remembers back to the moment when Maud wanted to make love to him before they were married—gasp!—but he stopped her.
- He wanted to do things properly, to show that he wasn't just a low-class recruit; he told her about St. Lucia, a place where he could retire after the war.
- In the present day, Plunkett is at Ma Kilman's, trying to communicate with his dead wife.
- Ma Kilman gives him comforting news about her soul, but he's a bit skeptical. Still, though, he asks Ma Kilman to deliver a message to Maud before slipping her a twenty-dollar bill for her services.
ii
- Ma Kilman assures Plunkett that Maud is happy, though Plunkett's not really buying it.
- That is, until Maud makes an appearance. She shows him the way out of the shop and sits with him in the car.
- He remembers their walk through the hills, when the old man showed them his bag of serpent heads.
- And then she is gone again.
iii
- Plunkett begins to recover from Maud's death, talking to her and listening to her voice inside his head.
- He becomes more at ease with the men who work on his farm and learns to like being alone.
- Most importantly, though, he comes to terms with the losses in his past.