Nina and Matthias return to the tomb at Black Veil, interrupting Jesper’s frustrating attempt to communicate with Kuwei. The crew finishes preparations for the night’s operations: Inej and Wylan have adapted equipment from the Cirkus Zirkoa for Inej’s climb at the Sweet Reef silos, and Nina reports that the Grisha refugees are hidden at the Ravkan embassy and waiting for instructions.

Nina reveals Matthias’s new wanted poster, adding urgency to their escape plan. Kaz lays out the coordinated moves: he and Wylan will use the cover of Van Eck’s Merchant Council meeting to steal the seal from Van Eck’s safe, while Nina and Inej target Sweet Reef, and Jesper, Matthias, and Kuwei bring the refugees to the ship Verrhader at Third Harbor. Kaz also distributes coffee extract to mask the scent of Grisha from the Kherguud.

Wylan declares that Wylan will not leave Ketterdam because Wylan refuses to let Van Eck drive Wylan away again. Jesper realizes Kaz knew Marya was alive and deliberately sent Jesper and Wylan to Saint Hilde so Wylan would understand Van Eck’s cruelty. Kaz admits Kaz needed Wylan “righteous,” not merely angry, and Wylan accepts the role. Before Kaz and Wylan leave, Jesper offers Wylan a place at Colm’s hotel, but their conversation exposes uncertainty about Jesper’s future and his attraction to the criminal life.

After Nina and Inej depart, Jesper waits with Matthias and Kuwei. Matthias challenges Jesper’s refusal to go to Ravka and suggests Jesper is ashamed or afraid of being Grisha. Kuwei explains that Bo Yul’s original work with jurda was meant to help Grisha suppress their powers safely, not create a weapon; after the Shu learned of the experiments, the drug became jurda parem. Kuwei hopes to recreate enough of the work to develop an antidote, but admits Kuwei lacks Bo Yul’s skill as a Fabrikator.

Jesper handles ordinary jurda and remembers childhood on the Zemeni farm: discovering Jesper could manipulate jurda blossoms, learning that Jesper’s mother Aditi had the same gift, and watching Colm fear for Aditi’s safety. The memory shifts to Aditi’s death after Aditi healed a poisoned girl and absorbed too much poison herself. Jesper reflects that life with Colm after Aditi’s death was loving but never enough to contain Jesper’s restlessness or unanswered Grisha power.

Returning to the present, Jesper recalls that Zemeni people use jurda stalks and their balm medicinally, which gives Jesper a possible insight: the plant itself might contain a way to counteract jurda parem. Before Jesper can fully develop the idea, the tomb window shatters. Jesper and Matthias arm themselves and see many people with lanterns in the cemetery, meaning the hideout has been discovered or approached at the worst possible moment.