Brianna follows in her mother’s footsteps and travels through the stones back in time to 18th century Scotland where she struggles to make her way to the Colonies to find her parents.
Down the Rabbit Hole opens with Brianna in the 18th century making her way through the Highlands of Scotland towards Ayr. It is cold and snowy and Brianna takes a tumble hurting her ankle. She stops to ice it in a nearby stream before limping along on her journey.
In the 20th century, Roger and Fiona drive up to Craig na Dun where Roger plans to follow Brianna through. Roger appears prepared to become a sailor on the other side. He’s also come prepared with the supplies he needs minus one beard. Roger climbs the hill and asks Fiona if she can hear the noise it is making but the stones don’t call to Fiona. Roger hugs Fiona and goes through the stones.
In the 18th century, Brianna has made herself a shelter where she eats her dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwich while nursing her wounded leg.
Later we see her walking, exhausted, bedraggled and limping down the road. She can see a home in the distance and continues towards it only to later collapse in the cold.
Brianna dreams of a time when she was young and she fell asleep in the car and Frank carried her in to her bed.
Brianna wakes in the home of a stranger named Laoghaire who brings her roasted pigeon to eat. Brianna offers that her parents are in the Americas and she trying to get to them. Joanie tells Brianna her sister is in North Carolina and she’s married to a Frog (Frenchman).
Laoghaire tells her to stay as long as she needs and leaves her to rest. Brianna wakes later to hear Laoghaire having words with someone downstairs (Ian Murray) and remembers Frank and Claire’s fight after Claire’s graduation. Brianna gets out of bed and makes her way into the dining room where Ian and Laoghaire are arguing. Ian tries to give Laoghaire some money to tide her over but she won’t accept it.
The next morning, Laoghaire and Joan are working in the garden when Brianna comes out to see them. Laoghaire apologize for the scene Brianna witness but Brianna makes lite of it saying she’s the intruder here. Brianna wonders if the man was her husband and Laoghaire says he’s kin of her ex-husband who brings ill tidings every month.
Laoghaire comments the dress she gave Brianna fits well and that Brianna is of a similar size to her Marsali. Joanie asks if Brianna will help her with the garden and Laoghaire goes in to put on the stew leaving the door opened.
Brianna is curious if Joan’s father won’t send money and Joan explains he’s not her own father but she calls him Da. Brianna offers to braid Joanie’s hair with flowers and comments on the beautiful color which Joanie points out is the same as Brianna’s. Joanie says her Da didn’t love Laoghaire the way she loved him. This brings Frank and Claire to Brianna’s mind.
Bree remembers going to see Frank in his office at Harvard where he’s drinking. She’s curious what is going on with him and he points out he found something in his research which turns out to be the obituary for Jamie and Claire which Brianna doesn’t see the significance in at the time. Brianna teases him a bit but when he doesn’t seem to respond she’s concerned about him. Frank seems to be struggling with what to tell her and she assures him he can tell her. Frank comes closer and tries but apologizes and tells her he can’t say. Frank sends her home to Claire and promises that someday she’ll understand.
Back at Belriggen, Brianna is readying for bed when Laoghaire enters saying the bed should be warm and pull out a bed warmer from under the covers. Laoghaire tells Brianna she hopes Joanie will marry a good man someday if such a thing exists. Brianna assures her there are good men and someday she’ll find one who will do anything for her. Brianna knows what it is like to miss someone.
Laoghaire says there was a time her husband would do anything for her. She reminisces about when she was young and Jamie would steal kisses and took a beating for her until she was bewitched. Laoghaire they were a family once and would tell the girls stories from the Bible. Brianna tries to cheer up Laoghaire by asking her to tell her Joanie’s favorite story. Laoghaire starts the story and Joanie appears and gets into bed with Brianna resting her head on Brianna’s shoulder.
Roger is on the docks looking for a ship that will take him on. Inside a tavern, he approaches the Captain of the Glorianna which is Stephen Bonnet who says he’s not taking passengers. Roger is persistent and follows him outside. He asks to be a crewman but Bonnet thinks he’s soft. Roger grabs a barrel and asks again. Bonnet is more impressed and then tosses a coin to see Roger’s fate. Heads Roger comes. Instead of Roger Wakefield he uses the name Roger MacKenzie.
Back at Belriggen, Brianna is fixing a cabinet while Laoghaire makes food. Joanie comes in and Laoghaire comments that she’s not taken the braid Brianna did for her out. Brianna sings some of the song San Francisco by Scott McKenzie. Laoghaire says that some of the girls and Lallybroch where flowers in their hair in the summer and Brianna’s ears prick up at the name Lallybroch.
Laoghaire wonders who her mother is and when Brianna says Laoghaire is upset but tries to hide it. She says Brianna didn’t say she was a Fraser and Brianna says her last name is Randall after the man who raised her. Laoghaire comments after the man your mother didn’t care for as she overheard Joanie and Brianna talking. Brianna defends her mother and says she did care for him and Laoghaire offers she didn’t love him as much as she loved Brianna’s true father.
Brianna remembers going to Frank’s office where he spent the night and bringing him tea and scones. Frank apologies for the night before and Brianna says she shouldn’t have pushed him then serves him a scone which he thoroughly enjoys. Frank wonders if she’s thought to study aboard.
Laoghaire wonders if Brianna believes her mother’s story about her true father and why he couldn’t raise her. She then goes on to elude that Jamie didn’t want a child and sent Claire away. Brianna offers that she knows they are in danger and she can’t explain why. Laoghaire comments she wants to know what will threaten her alimony. Brianna is confused when Laoghaire starts ranting that Brianna is witch like her mother. Laoghaire says Claire went back to another man and when he died she came back for Laoghaire’s Jamie. Brianna knows she’s no longer welcome and goes to get her things but Laoghaire follows her upstairs and locks her in saying she’s a witch and she’s getting the authorities after Brianna tells her the truth is that Jamie Fraser never loved her. Brianna tries all the windows but is truly locked in.
Back in the 20th century, we see Brianna with Frank in his car. He asks about whether she’s willing to study in England where he’s been offered a job at Cambridge. He drops the bomb that Claire and he are getting divorced. Brianna is shocked and tries to talk him out of it. Frank knows it can’t be a surprise but Brianna says it is. Frank gives her the typical line that they love her and always will but Claire and he decided it is the way forward. Brianna simply leaves him without saying anything which is apparently when he has his car accident.
At his graveside, she upset she hadn’t stayed with him. Maybe he’d be alive. Maybe if she’s agreed to go they would have celebrated instead of him having his accident. She promises to soldier on like he said and tells him he is her hero.
On board the Glorianna, Roger is doing he work on the ship and checking on the passengers. Roger touches a baby that seems to like him and smiles. When Bonnet comes around the child starts screaming. To calm him Bonnet gives the baby some whisky off his fingers which quiets him.
Later, there is a ruckus on the ship and Roger goes to see what is amiss. A child has smallpox and Bonnet is throwing everyone afflicted overboard. He pushes a child out the window and the mother follows. Roger confronts him but Bonnet sees no value in a child. Bonnet tells his men to find all those with rashes. Roger goes after the woman and baby from earlier telling her he won’t let it happen to them. Roger offers to hide them and tells Roger her name is Morag MacKenzie and her son is Jemmy. She swears on his woman’s life to help her.
Back at Belriggen, Brianna grabs a pot to smash over the person coming into the rooms head but it is Joanie comes to help her. Joanie takes her to Lallybroch. Ian comes out and Joanie tells him Brianna is Jamie’s daughter. Ian believes it looking at her. Jenny is off helping to birth a grandchild and Ian plans to help her get aboard a ship. Ian tells her to ask after Auntie Jocasta at River Run because she’ll know here to find Jamie and Claire. He also gives her a truck of Claire’s clothing.
On board the Glorianna, Roger brings Morag provisions and Bonnet finds them. He’s not happy as Morag is hiding below while others suffer above. Bonnet says he helped build a house when he was 17 and they needed a sacrifice for the foundation and wanted to kill him. They tossed a coin to choose between him and Daft Joey. Turns out the coin was in his favor. Bonnet says he’ll do the same for Roger’s fate and tosses the coin which is favor of Roger’s survival which Bonnet accepts and walks off.
Back at the docks, Brianna and Ian are walking together and Ian asks if she can get Young Ian to write more often. Ian wants to help her but she thinks he’s done enough. Ian tells her Jamie will be so happy to meet her.
Brianna goes inside and a man stops her asking to take her daughter as a maid. He says a man wants her as a concubine and there is nothing he can do as their contracts have been bought. Brianna agrees and buys them both passages. Lizzie and Brianna head out. Joseph Weymss tells Lizzie to say her prayers and Brianna sees the ghost of Frank watching her. He nods his approval and then disappears.
Brianna and Lizzie board the ship for Americas.
