The growing Regulator threat forces Jamie, Claire and Roger to embark on a mission to raise a militia.
Claire appears to be basting the mold samples while Marsali questions Claire’s knowledge. Not wanting to make up an answer Claire asks Marsali how she thinks she learned what to look for. Marsali concludes Claire must have learned from books in Boston where they have newfangled ideas.
Claire checks her samples under the microscope but comes up empty. No penicillin.
Jamie returns home in the middle of the night and Claire and he have a small reunion. Jamie tells her he is charged with gathering a militia and Claire lets him know she will be joining him on the road.
The next day, Fergus arrives with Germain. Jamie sends him off to Wollams Creek to have broadsheets created stating he is gathering men for militia. Fergus rights Jamie’s message for the county on a piece of paper of Claire’s table which seems slightly important.
Next we see Fergus return with a letter Jamie tucks away and dismisses while everyone gathers to leave on their recruitment. Claire reminds Marsali to keep up her practices and check the mold samples and enlists Brianna to help Marsali.
Bree goes to say her goodbyes to Roger and we discover Bree was put in charge of the Ridge while Jamie’s away.
When the party makes camp, Jamie sends off the men to gather wood and make camp then takes Claire aside to tell Claire about his letters from Lord John informing him of Bonnet’s alive status. Bonnet has been seen in Wilmington. Claire seems content to leave Brianna in the dark (wasn’t Jamie angry he didn’t know BJR was alive in France?).
Around the fire Jamie make plans to train the men and then they all joke and banter before retiring to their beds.
As the son rises, Isaiah captures a thief and they believe it to be Josiah but he doesn’t have the thief brand on his hand. Jamie appears with a duplicate which appears to be Josiah. Josiah says the other is Keziah his brother. Jamie tells him he’ll protect them but he needs the truth. Josiah confesses they are indentured since they were 2 for a term of 30 years. Keziah is deaf from beating at the hand of the man who bought them. Keziah was hungry and stole their food which Jamie is willing to give freely.
Josiah tells Jamie where they are indentured and Jamie is willing to go and buy their indenture. Josiah warns Jamie to be careful. On the way Jamie suspects Keziah may have stolen the cheese Josiah was branded for.
The two arrive at the Beardsley homestead but it appears no one is home despite the smoke from the chimney. As Jamie walks by a window a face appears startling him. He returns to the door and Mistress Beardsley tells him Mr. Beardsley is dead. He says he wishes to buy her bond servants but she tells him to keep them but he needs the papers to prevent someone from changing their mind about Keziah and Josiah in the future.
Jamie returns to the door and tells Mrs. Beardsley they need the boys papers. She lets them in and then goes searching for the papers. They hear a noise but it turns out to be a billy goat in the cabinet so he doesn’t rut with the nannies.
Claire wanders around and realizes something is wrong. Claire goes upstairs and finds Mr. Beardsley crumpled on the floor lying in his waste. It seems he had a stroke while trying to catch his wife (to beat her) and she left him up there. She’s been feeding him some to keep him alive and has been torturing him to make him suffer.
On the road, Roger is gathering men and tries to convince Mistress Findlay he will do all in his power to bring her sons back to her.
Back at the Beardsley’s Claire is cleaning up Mr. Beardsley when Mrs. Beardsley, worrying they might heal him, tries to strangle him. Jamie tries to subdue her and when she pushes him off she loses her balance and goes into labor. Claire delivers the baby whose father is clearly black. Mrs. Beardsley takes pleasure in letting Mr. Beardsley know the baby isn’t his.
Fanny Beardsley tells Claire he took her from her father’s home in Baltimore and he’s her fifth wife (at least). Mr. Beardsley killed all his previous wives and buried them under the rowan out front. Fanny says she sees their ghosts especially the last one, Mary Ann. She says he beat her and the boys. She wants to give them the boys indenture papers because they deserve happiness. Claire tells her she deserves happiness too.
Jamie and Claire are talking about when to leave when Claire tells Jamie she wants Brianna and Roger to go back to the future if Jemmy can travel. Jamie wants them to stay and asks if her penicillin wouldn’t make them safer. Claire tells him only from infection.
In the night, Fanny leaves and Jamie and Claire awaken to the baby crying. Fanny left the deed, indenture papers and the baby for Jamie and Claire.
The pack up the goats and the baby for the trip to Brownsville. Jamie asks her to go outside implying he’s going to kill Mr. Beardsley. Claire starts to protest but Jamie says he’d do it for a dog.
Alone with the man, Jamie asks if he understands and Mr. Beardsley blinks once for yes. He doesn’t want to continue in that condition and isn’t willing to pray for forgiveness. Jamie shoots him in the head and then goes out to Claire.
Jamie tells her he never realizes a man wouldn’t just die from an apoplexy. He never thought to ask Jenny if their father suffered. Claire assures him Jenny would have told him. Jamie makes her promise that should it happen to him she would put him out of his misery. She tells him she’ll do what must be done.
