Claire decides to use her medical skills to aid her escape from Castle Leoch – with Jamie’s help, she tends to an ill child. During an evening’s entertainment, a story gives Claire hope for her freedom.
The Way Out starts with Claire and Frank and the train station discussing her orders to the Front Lines where she will be an Army nurse. Frank has been trying to pull strings to keep her there with him; as he’s stationed in London. Claire is persistent about going and we see Frank and Claire saying goodbye.
In 1743, Claire is getting, what seems to be, her first real bath which is her standing in a tub while Mrs. Fitz pours water over her head. Mrs. Fitz comments on Claire’s flawless skin and how it is basically an oddity of the time. (She’s not seen a woman past 8 or 9 with skin unmarked from illness or injury.) Claire proceeds to tell Mrs. Fitz about what happened to her and that Frank hasn’t been born yet. She wonders if “The MacKenzie’s” would believe her and help her get back to the stones. Mrs. Fitz is clearly terrified to the point that she loses it and calls Claire a witch while smacking her.
And then Claire looks up at the dressing table having imagined the scenario and realizing telling people who and what she is, is likely a very bad idea. Mrs. Fitz is telling her about the MacKenzie Clan Gathering which is all the MacKenzie’s coming to the castle to for the Oathtaking (pledge to Colum).
We then see Claire in the surgery rummaging about finding “The Beaton’s” remedies which some of which are just disgusting. We see Angus Mhor hanging about the steps “keeping an eye on” Claire. He is clearly bored even when she’s patching up people from the keep. Angus goes up and gets drunk in the kitchens with Rupert.
Claire goes looking for her guards and finds then in the kitchen. She employs them to discard the disgusting things “The Beaton” had done there. Claire witnesses a woman drop a cup and learns that the woman lost her son the previous night. He’d gone up to the Black Kirk and was possessed by a demon. And Rupert calls Claire daft.
Mrs. Fitz’s nephew comes into the kitchen to find Claire saying the Laird wants her. She goes to Colum’s office to find him being outfitted for a new frock coat which the tailor takes upon himself to lengthen to cover Colum’s legs. This enrages Colum who threatens the tailor who assure Colum he’ll right the wrong.
Colum tells Claire that Davie Beaton used to massage him to relieve some of the pain. Claire is willing but tells him massaging the base of his spin will do more good which Colum accepts. Colum then bares his ass. Colum and Claire talk about the child who died and Colum wonders if Claire has demons where she comes from to which she replies, “We call them Scots.” This gets Colum to laugh and confess her massage is making him feel better. Colum invites her to the Hall for to hear Gwyllyn the Baird.
Dougal comes out of know where and comments on Colum’s health and Claire’s healing touch. Claire goes to sit down and ends up sitting with Laoghaire (Mrs. Fitz’s granddaughter who Jamie saved from a beating). Claire strikes up a conversation and realizing Laoghaire has a thing for Jamie gets him to sit between them. Claire tries to talk to Laoghaire but Jamie ignores Laoghaire and talks to Claire. Jamie tells Claire, Gwyllyn has been at Leoch since at least when he came to visit when he was sixteen. Laoghaire offers up that she remembers Jamie from then but he tell her he does remember her but wouldn’t because at that age most boys are really into their own grand selves and don’t pay attention to snort-nosed bairns. Claire elbows him. Claire is drinking a lot and Jamie mentions his bandages are chaffing. He asks for her help handing off Claire’s cup to Laoghaire.
Jamie and Claire go to the surgery where he tells her he just wanted to make sure she was all right since she’s drunk. Jamie says he wouldn’t touch the bandages because she might be made at him. She asks why he didn’t ask about taking it off at the stables but he tells her should Old Alec see his scars; he’d treat Jamie differently. Jamie tells Claire she doesn’t treat him like he’s pitiful when sees his scars.
Claire then checks Jamie’s wound in what has to be a parody of undressing him. She removes his stock and opens his shirt. The entire time Jamie is looking at her like he’s in heaven. She inspects his wound and sees that it is healing well. Claire looks to realize they are rather close and backs off telling Jamie good night. Clearly, she’s not unaffected.
Geillis meets Claire in the gardens and Geillis tells Claire she had to walk with Father Bain who is going to be doing and exorcism on Tammas Baxter (Mrs. Fitz’s nephew) who went to the Black Kirk with the dead boy. Claire believes the boy is sick and Geillis wonders if Claire believes in magic. She goes so far as to ask Claire, “Have you never found yourself in a situation with no earthly explanation?” Claire completely disregards this question as she’s focused on the Baxter boy. Geillis tells Claire since everyone believes he is possessed it is dangerous to try and do something.
Claire walks off with Angus blustering behind her. Angus tells her it isn’t her place to interfere and she tells him a Priest once told her that her healing skills are a gift from God. Claire finds Tammas tied down “in case he gets violent.” She determines that he’s been poisoned. Claire wants to untie Tammas but Father Bain comes in and begins his exorcism. Claire pleads with Mrs. Fitz but she doesn’t let Claire help and Claire leaves defeated.
Back at the castle, Claire sees Jamie kissing Laoghaire and when Jamie sees her watching seems a little pleased.
At dinner, Claire teases Jamie that his lip is swollen. Jamie presses his foot to Claire’s who then kicks Jamie’s foot and makes Murtagh spill his drink. Jamie embarrassingly takes off and Murtagh chastises Claire for teasing Jamie. Murtagh tells Claire that should Laoghaire’s father or Colum finds out Jamie could end up with a girl as a wife. He goes on to say Jamie needs a woman not a girl and that Laoghaire will be a girl until she’s fifty.
Claire is outside but the gardens realizing she feels bad for teasing Jamie but is jealous over the fact that Jamie and Laoghaire could be together and she couldn’t be with Frank. She starts crying when Dougal appears asking if Claire is all right. He asks if she’d like to go see Geillis in the village so she can stock her medicine shelves before the Gathering.
Claire and Dougal ride into the village and then we cut to Claire inside with Geillis. Geillis warns Claire that Father Bain is a bit of an extremist which honestly isn’t there always one.
There is a commotion outside and Geillis says it is likely the tanners boy accused of stealing as it usually is. Geillis says that the boy will likely lose his hand for stealing.
Arthur comes in feeling sick and tells her that he needs peppermint. Claire asks Arthur about the boy. Geillis gives him the peppermint and we get a lot of farting. Arthur says the boy confessed and that Father Bain is advocating for a lost hand. Geillis works her wiles, reluctantly, and asks for mercy for the boy. Arthur reduces his sentence which is his ear being nailed to the pillory.
When Claire realizes what this means she is still appalled. Geillis wants to get to the herbs and then go have a drink and share their secrets. An hour later, Claire tells Geillis she was brought up in lots of places. Geillis is fascinated but Jamie comes in to collect her and take her back to the castle. Geillis asks Jamie to stay while Claire tells her story but Jamie clearly doesn’t want to stay.
Outside, Claire wonders when the boy will be released and Jamie tells her as soon as he decides to tear his ear from the nail. Claire asks Jamie if he has strong fingers and they hatch a plan. Jamie goes up to the pillory to encourage the boy to tear his ear from the nail while Claire approaches from the other side. She feigns a faint falling on some people and while everyone is looking at her Jamie pulls the nail free and tells the boy to go. Geillis watches from her window.
Claire employs Jamie’s help again and they go up to the Black Kirk for a look around. Jamie tells her it is something of a manhood test to go up there. Jamie tells Claire he is educated and that he had a good tutor who taught him Latin and Greek. His tutor also taught him about faeries and devils and such. He also tells her that as a Highlander he doesn’t believe in tempting fate.
Claire asks what they would do to earn their manhood. Jamie tells her they would mostly just walk about but they would sometimes find berries or Wood Garlic to eat. She’s asks him to show her and she finds what looks like Wood Garlic but is actually Lily of the Valley a poisonous plant from Germany (Prussia). Apparently, the monks who originally built the kirk where from Prussia.
Claire goes back to see Tammas to find Father Bain doing last rights. Claire tells the boy’s mother that she thinks Tammas at what looks like Wood Garlic but isn’t and she thinks she can counteract the poison. Father Bain calls her blasphemous and a battle of wills ensues with Mrs. Fitz being the one to override the Father letting Claire use her medical abilities to save Tammas. Clearly Father Bain is going to be an issue.
At the castle, Claire is being hailed a miracle worker. Claire tells Jamie she believes the Father would rather let the boy die that she save him. Jamie tells her it is how the man makes sense of the world.
Claire just hope that Colum is beginning to trust her and Jamie tells her he’s taking credit for her being there and is likely not going to want her to leave.
Claire is in Hall again listening to Gwyllyn singe and Jamie tells her that he sings of a lass who came through the stones saying she was from another place and she lived among strangers and eventually went back through the stones to the man she left behind. Claire is stunned and asks if the woman went back through the stones and Jamie tells her they always do.
Claire has hope and decides she has to escape and get back to the stones.
