As Brianna struggles to compartmentalize the trauma she’s suffered in the wake of the tragedy that befell her in Wilmington, she refocuses on finding her parents.
The Birds & the Bees opens with Brianna returning to her room with Lizzie. Lizzie points out Brianna’s nose is bloody and asks if she was with that man. Brianna says she was and proceeds to undress. Lizzie tries to help but Brianna flinches. When Brianna gets down to her shift Lizzie notices the blood from her virginity and welts on Brianna’s back.
Lizzie tells Brianna her hand is there and her ear if she needs it but Brianna tells Lizzie to go to sleep.
The next morning, Roger returns to the Willow Tree Tavern and asks after Brianna but is detained by Bonnet. Bonnet is happy he won’t have to send men looking for him but Roger plans not to continue onboard with Bonnet. Roger reminds Bonnet he needed to get to Wilmington and Bonnet reminds him it was but one port on their way to Philadelphia. Bonnet then lays down a threat should Roger not show up. Bonnet’s men force Roger to join them and Roger tells the innkeeper to let Brianna know he was there.
Lizzie wakes Brianna when she comes in having let Brianna sleep until noon. Lizzie is folding up laundered clothing and Brianna tells her she doesn’t want Lizzie to exert herself because she’s been ill. Then she says she won’t be wearing those cloths again.
Lizzie thinks Brianna should rest but Brianna tells her she doesn’t have time. She has to find a boat to Cross Creek to see her Aunt Jocasta who knows the way to Fraser’s Ridge. She has to find her mother.
Brianna asks the innkeeper about Roger and is told Roger asked after her but went with the crew of the Gloriana back to their ship. Bree runs out to the docks and see the ship is gone. She asks after the Gloriana and is told it left that morning. Brianna believes Roger left her.
Lizzie comes to find Brianna and tells her a man told her about a woman who did surgery at the theatre. Brianna knows it has to be her mom. Lizzie tells her the woman’s husband is a Mr. Fraser. Brianna wants to know when and Lizzie says last night and that Mr. Fraser is over by McCabe’s now.
Brianna goes to McCabe’s and asks after Jamie and is told he’s around back.
Jamie is relieving himself when Brianna approaches. Jamie wonders if she needs something and she says, “You.” He tells her he’s married but she stops him when he tries to go by and he tells her he meant it. He’s got a wife. She then asks if he’s Jamie Fraser and he stops wondering who asks and if she has a message. She says her name is Brianna and she’s his daughter.
Jamie approaches her and really looks at her. He tells her he never thought of her as grown always a wee bairn. She cries and hugs him and he tells her not to weep “a leannan”.
He asks if she’s seen her mother and Brianna shakes her head. Jamie says Claire will be mad with joy.
Claire comes out of a shop and Jamie calls to her. Jamie and Bree are sitting on a bench together and Claire is shocked then overjoyed as Bree runs to her.
Brianna relates their fate and tells them she came back to tell them. Jamie is annoyed the printer smudged the date. Jamie asks if she’ll come to Fraser’s Ridge and Claire answers for her. He tells her they have land, tenants and crops and Brianna tells them about Lizzie who Jamie welcomes. Young Ian appears and is introduced to Brianna much to his shock.
Aboard the riverboat Lizzie is admiring Young Ian but Ian thinks she means Rollo. Below decks Brianna tells Claire about Roger following her, their hand-fast and then there fight and her belief he went back to Scotland. Brianna notices Claire’s new ring.
Above deck later, Young Ian relates what happened to them when they were robbed on the river and that Jamie helped Bonnet which made it worse. Brianna believes Jamie was trying to do the right thing. Ian adds Bonnet’s crime of murder and taking Auntie Claire’s wedding ring. Brianna realizes Bonnet is the man who robbed them and raped her.
The Fraser’s make their way through the woods to the Ridge and Jamie is surprised this Roger left Brianna alone. Jamie asks after the news she brought and Claire suggests they make a holiday of it and never be in the cabin on the Sunday before January 21. Jamie reminds her they’ve never had luck changing the past.
They stop at the cliffs edge and Brianna says the view reminds her of Daniel Boone who is a frontiersman right now. She says they’ll name towns after him and then apologizes for speaking of history to come but Claire says Jamie’s used to it.
They pull up to the cabin and Murtagh comes out saying he arrived last night. Jamie says Murtagh has a spy among his men and Murtagh says “had.” He thinks he should make himself scares for a while. Jamie has a surprise for Murtagh and Murtagh see’s Brianna believing it is a bride for Young Ian. Jamie introduces them and Murtagh asks what took her so long.
Brianna says she met Uncle Ian but Aunt Jenny was attending a birth but she doesn’t remember for whom. Then relays to Young Ian that they ask he write more. Bree asks what Jamie was like as a boy and he tells a story of when he fostered with Dougal. One of Dougal’s daughter’s Tabitha took him by the ears and kissed him. Her mother saw and told Dougal who woke him the next morning with Dougal telling him he hopes Jamie won’t take advantage of Tabitha’s feelings with resting one hand on his dirk and the other on Jamie’s bollocks.
Brianna doesn’t seem happy with the story though everyone else is. Claire tells Brianna she met George Washington which Brianna thinks is amazing but she’s tired. Claire walks her to the shelter.
Murtagh tells Jamie Brianna reminds him of Ellen. Jamie hope Brianna will feel the Ridge is her home. He seems worried she won’t.
The next morning, Claire tells Brianna she checked on Lizzie who hasn’t been feeling better. She thinks she has Malaria. Brianna tells Claire that Frank knew about her returning to Jamie. She says he found the obituary then and knew she came back. Brianna tells Claire she sees why she had to return to Jamie. Brianna knocks over some herb bundles and gets upset. Claire reminds Brianna she can talk to her about Roger but Bree says there is nothing she can do about him leaving. She can’t phone him.
Aboard the Gloriana, the crew is being paid and Roger asks for a small gem instead of coin. Bonnet gives him one and Roger goes on his way.
Time passes while Brianna lives on the Ridge and Claire watches her with concern. Jamie and Bree shoot together and when Brianna does very well, Jamie is shocked. Bree tells him Frank taught her. She says they’d camp out and shoot.
Later, at the whisky spring everyone is working on the mash. Brianna wonders if people always call Ian, Young Ian and he tells her it was wee Ian when he was a bairn. She says people always call her Bree and Ian and Murtagh are amused but Jamie tells her it is a Scots word that doesn’t translate. That night Jamie tells Claire a ‘Bree’ is a disturbance. Claire reminds him Brianna isn’t fragile and he couldn’t have told her but he’s concerned she’s heartsick over Roger. He gets it because of their time apart. Claire suggests they go hunting so they could be alone and get to know each other better.
Jamie goes out to the shelter and sees Brianna smiling in her sleep like him. He’s delighted with that sign of him in her and then wakes her gently asking if she’ll go hunting with him. She agrees and the two set off together.
Later, Bree asks what they are hunting and he says bees. She wonders how you hunt bees and he says you look for flowers.
Jamie calls Bree, “a leannan” and “m’ annsachd” which mean my darling and my blessing which seems to make Bree happy.
They find bees on flowers and follow them back to the hive. Brianna wonders what they will do now and Jamie says they wait until dark and blow smoke inside to stun them. Then wrap the hive in the bag and take it home and put it in a bee gum. Brianna wonders if they won’t realize they’ve been moved but Jamie says there is nothing they can do and they’ll be content in their new home.
Bree reminds him she has a home and she feels disloyal to Frank just being there. Jamie says he’s very thankful to Frank for loving another man’s child with no cause. He had to give her to him but he’s happy she came back. Bree asks if she’s not a bree, a disturbance. Murtagh told her and Jamie says both she and Claire are but welcome. He will continue to call her Bree but she’s doesn’t know what to call him and he tells her to call him Da which isn’t Gaelic just simple.
Claire welcomes them back that night and they sit together eating honeycomb.
Later, Jamie is restless and Claire asks what is on his mind. He doesn’t want Brianna to leave. Claire reminds him Brianna belongs in her time where she’s safer. He tells her Brianna smiles in her sleep and she called him Da.
Brianna is watching some baby birds the next morning when Lizzie approaches. Lizzie plans to go with Ian to the mill and Brianna is picking herbs with Claire. While herb picking Claire asks what is bothering Brianna and Bree says she wondered if Claire could still read her mind. They sit together and then Claire asks how far along Bree is. Claire points out Roger wouldn’t know because he left soon after but Bree tells her it might not be Roger’s baby. Claire is shocked and then says she didn’t fight hard enough and wonders why she didn’t.
Claire is stunned and pulls Bree into a hug telling her it isn’t her fault and then, “my baby.” Claire asks how soon after being with Roger and she says the same night which is such a horror to Claire.
That night Claire comes to Jamie to talk about Brianna. He thinks she wants to leave but Claire tells him Brianna was raped and that she is pregnant. Jamie is shocked and feeling helpless.
We see Roger making his way to the Ridge as Lizzie and Ian are out and about. Lizzie sees Roger and thinks he’s the man who hurt Bree.
Claire goes to the shelter to gather clothing and her wedding ring falls out of Bree’s cloths. Claire is stunned to see it knowing what it means.
Young Ian and Lizzie come to Jamie. Lizzie’s told Young Ian what she believes and they tell Jamie. Jamie’s anger is simmering and Lizzie says she believe the man raped Brianna. Young Ian wonders if the man has come to claim her. Jamie orders Young Ian to see Lizzie home and tells Lizzie not to tell Bree and Claire anything.
In the yard, Bree comes to help Claire and Claire presents the ring. Brianna says she offered to buy the ring from him. Claire wants to know why she didn’t tell her and Bree explains she didn’t want her to feel bad or Jamie to go after him. Bree makes her promise not to say anything.
Jamie comes upon Roger who tries asking after Fraser’s Ridge but Jamie beats him unconscious, only stopping because Young Ian appears warning Jamie someone is coming. They hide Roger and then Young Ian wonders if he should kill him. Jamie tells him no and then tells Ian to get rid of the man. Young Ian rides off with Roger slung over his horse. Neither of them know who he is.
