Aron goes off to Stanford for college, leaving a confused Abra behind. His letters to her seem increasingly only about himself, so she tries to find community with the other members of the Trask family. She spends a lot of time with Lee and Adam; Cal still makes her uncomfortable because she can’t tell whether he likes her. Meanwhile, Cal has earned enough money to replace the fortune Adam lost in the lettuce fiasco. Abra tries to ask Cal about Aron, and she confesses to him that she’s not altogether good.

Cathy employs Joe Valery as her muscle. When she needs something done, Joe is the man to do it. Growing up abused, Joe learned early on not to trust anyone. Although Cathy almost enslaves him because he fears her, he doesn’t view her as a benefactor and waits for the time when he can one-up her. Cathy struggles with her arthritis. She finds a new medication that helps her, but the physical pain intensifies her fears about Ethel, who is out there somewhere with information that could take Cathy down. She tells Joe to find Ethel and report back about Ethel’s location. Joe learns that Ethel has died but tells Cathy that Ethel is alive and plans to return to Salinas.