Kristin travels to the house where Ramborg lives with Simon. She begins to suspect that, since Simon married Ramborg when she was so young, Ramborg is struggling with the demands of running a household. She quarrels often with Simon, who demands little of his young wife. Kristin spends the summer in the mountains with her young sons, Lavrans and Munan.

Kristin misses Husaby, which has been taken from Erlend as part of his punishment. The family has returned to Jørundgaard, which belongs to Kristin. She is grieving after a miscarriage and is not sure whether she wants to have another child. In her new home, she feels as though she is regarded as an outsider, along with Erlend, her sons, and especially Ulf, who is “outright despised” (716) Though she grew up at Jørundgaard, the local people do not warm to her family. She senses Erlend’s frustration at being forced to live at the much smaller farm, though he never says anything aloud. Kristin wonders whether Aasulf, the son of Sunniva, might actually be Erlend’s son, since Sunniva’s husband is very old and cruel. By this time, Naakkve is 16. Kristin keeps a close eye on her son’s relationships with the maids, particularly a girl named Astrid.