Kaz remembers the aftermath of Mister Hertzoon’s con. The money left to Kaz and Jordie runs out, the loan agreement proves worthless, and the brothers are evicted. Forced into the Barrel, they are beaten by gang boys, Kaz loses his boots, and Jordie tries to keep Kaz hopeful even as the city begins to destroy them.

Firepox then spreads through Ketterdam’s slums. Jordie falls ill first, Kaz soon follows, and the brothers hide in refuse because they have no money for medicine. Jordie dies beside Kaz, and body men mistake Kaz for dead, dumping Kaz onto the Reaper’s Barge among corpses. Kaz survives the fever, clings to Jordie’s bloated body as a raft, and swims back to Ketterdam fueled by grief and the need for vengeance.

In the prison wagon, Kaz wakes from this memory after Inej jabs him and speaks to him. Kaz realizes the crew has passed two Ice Court checkpoints while Kaz was unconscious, which terrifies Kaz because others could have discovered Kaz’s weakness. Kaz is ashamed that Inej has seen Kaz panic, but Kaz also understands that Inej will not betray him.

Inside the Ice Court, the prisoners are processed in a marble courtyard under armed guards. Nina notices five impaled men on the ringwall, including Eroll Aerts of Pekka Rollins’ crew, showing that Rollins’ rival attempt has likely failed. The guards notice discrepancies in the prison paperwork, including Inej being listed incorrectly, but bureaucracy and indifference allow Kaz’s crew to be sent onward.

The prisoners pass a human amplifier meant to detect Grisha, but Nina’s disguise holds. Kaz panics when Inej is separated from the men, then focuses on the plan as the male prisoners see Fjerdan tanks, artillery, and other weapons displayed behind Fabrikator-made glass. The sight confirms the Ice Court’s immense military power and raises the stakes of the infiltration.

During intake, Kaz must strip, surrender his gloves, and endure a search, nearly collapsing from memories of corpses and touch. A guard finds two lockpicks in Kaz’s mouth but misses the baleen hidden between Kaz’s teeth. In the holding cell, Kaz violently dislocates an aggressive prisoner’s shoulder to reassert control and ensure the crew will be left alone, proving to himself that Kaz is not helpless despite his panic.