Something has gone down in the village of Eyam. But what? A mass exodus? A widespread bout of food poisoning? A zombie infestation? That last one might actually be closest to the truth: the village has been decimated by the plague. As we'll see over the course of this section, this tragedy has had a profound effect on the community.

Michael Mompellion is very unusual for a Puritan pastor. He has kinds words to say about non-Christians. He prefers being in nature to being in a church. He even opposes witch hunts. Knowing this, it's no wonder that Anna trusts his religious insights so devoutly. He's simply a solid dude.

With the plague currently tearing apart the tiny village of Eyam, Anna and her neighbors are left in a destitute emotional state. They've watched family members die. They've watched friends go insane. They've endured at least two violent murders. Basically, it's been a long time since anyone used an emoji that wasn't a sad face.