Sarah and Christine help Abbie manage her work amid her days of grief. Meanwhile, Abbie watches as more families leave Cedartown. She worries about the future and is pulled between resentment toward her husband of 10 years and her deep love and devotion to him. Abbie shares her pearl necklace with Margaret, inspiring her daughter to have big dreams about the future. A new schoolhouse is built in town, so Abbie stops giving lessons to her children at home. In 1877, the community is still struggling with farming and bad weather, but they find ways to come together to read and socialize. Cedartown builds a new church. In 1879, a stranger passes through town, a violinist who plays an accompaniment to Abbie’s singing. He’s been offered a fortune of $600 for his violin, but he refuses to give it up. Abbie notes that everybody who endures hardship holds on to one material belonging that keeps them happy during otherwise bleak times.

Another year of intense snowstorms holds Cedartown back from making progress and profit with their crops. Abbie is determined that her children maintain their education and makes sure that they read Shakespeare with her.