Calla’s first meeting with her father is awkward. He has little to say and doesn’t hug her. Agnes sees Calla’s disappointment with his detachment and apologizes, claiming he doesn’t express his emotions well. Calla reviews the photo Agnes took of her at the airport, and she’s annoyed to see Jonah in the background. She crops him out and drafts an Instagram post pretending to be blissfully happy in Alaska.

Calla awakens to a slew of messages from her mother, showering her with questions about Wren. Her Instagram post is popular, so she must have convinced people she was having a good time. The house is empty, and Calla assumes everyone has gone to work, but she’s hurt that her father couldn’t stay home and spend time with her. He left a note directing her to take his truck to the supermarket and left her a stack of money for her to buy groceries. Calla has no driver’s license, so she’s stuck at the house until someone returns. Opting to go for a run, Calla gets a glimpse at the flat expanse of Bangor. Dirty roads and swarming mosquitoes make the run unpleasant, but Calla is happy to see some people gardening, proving her mother wrong that no one can grow anything in Bangor.

Starving and desperate for caffeine, Calla calls Agnes and asks her to take her to the store. Agnes can’t come home until noon, so she tells Calla to go next door and ask Jonah to take her. Though she’s shocked Jonah is Wren’s neighbor, she is wary of asking him for help after the disdain he showed her the previous day. Jonah answers the door but looks different to her than the previous day. Not only does he have strikingly beautiful blue eyes, but his body isn’t burly; instead, Calla finds him fit and attractive. Jonah thinks it’s ridiculous that Calla doesn’t have a license and requires soy milk for her coffee. He agrees to take her to the store, but they don’t speak the entire ride. He rudely comments on her skimpy running attire, and she realizes he is watching her.

Bangor has a rough, industrial façade that lacks cozy warmth and comforts like the coffee shops to which Calla is accustomed. She attempts small talk and learns that Jonah was born in Anchorage and lived in Las Vegas for a time before moving to Bangor. She asks about his father’s cancer, but he doesn’t want to talk about it. They stop at Meyers, the local supermarket, but Calla has never shopped for her own groceries and feels lost. She sees a coffee bar and orders a soy latte because she is lactose intolerant, but Kayley, the barista, says they don’t have soy milk. Jonah knows Kayley and asks if she can get a container of soy milk off the shelf for “our little princess” (112). Calla senses he's flirting with Kayley but is happy to get her coffee. Calla is happy Billy is delivering her luggage today. Jonah teases her, saying that Billy went through her belongings, including her underwear. Jonah speaks to an Indigenous Alaskan woman named Ethel, whose village he frequents. Ethel says Jonah saved her daughter’s life when she was in labor during a snowstorm, and he flew her to a hospital.

Agnes is hosting Calla and Wren for dinner, and Calla wants to buy a bottle of wine to give as a hostess gift. Jonah explains that Bangor is a dry town because alcohol use disorder is rampant. Calla is anxious to leave the store and feels people are staring at her. Jonah says it because she looks like a “live Barbie doll” (118), an idea Calla rebukes. The cashier, Bobbie, rings up her groceries, and the high price tag shocks Calla. Everything, including fuel, is more expensive in Alaska. By listening to Bobbie and Jonah chat, she learns Jonah’s father, who was once an Air Force pilot, had worked for Wren, and Bobbie’s husband, George, is a pilot. Calla is fed up with Jonah’s derisive tone and asks what she’s done to deserve his hostility. He calls her “shallow, self-absorbed, entitled” and precedes to lambast her for showing up in Alaska after never visiting and expecting Wren (118), newly diagnosed with cancer, to roll out a red carpet. He continues criticizing what he sees as her obsession with outward appearance and lack of emotional depth. Horrified and hurt, Calla refutes his claims and jumps in a cab as he speeds away.

By the end of the cab ride, Calla knows the driver, Michael, and his life story. She surprises herself, having never taken the time to get to understand a stranger like this. He explains to her that Michael is his “Kass’aq,” or American name, and that his job keeps him away from his wife and seven children for long periods.

All the groceries are neatly put away at home, and she takes this as an apology from Jonah for his behavior. Calla catches up with Simon and Susan via phone, and Simon listens to her concerns about Wren’s perceived emotional distance. Simon encourages her to give it time. Susan asks questions about Wren’s health, and Calla tells her the house hasn’t changed, including the painted lilies in her room. Calla notices someone has drawn nipples on all the ducks on the wallpaper. Susan and Calla share a good laugh, and Susan encourages Calla not to dread the dinner with Agnes. She empathizes with Jonah’s mistreatment and tells Calla to stay away from him, but Calla still thinks about what he said earlier.

The inside of Agnes’s home is decorated warmly and feels more like a home than Wren’s. Agnes’s 12-year-old daughter, Mabel, returns home from working on the Whittamore farm down the street, where they produce crops successfully through creative farming strategies. They give her food in exchange for her work, and the chicken they eat for dinner comes from the farm. Calla is surprised Agnes has a daughter, but Mabel knows all about Calla, having perused her Instagram profile.

After giving Agnes flowers, Calla’s heart sinks when she learns Jonah is joining them for dinner. Remembering Simon’s advice, she tries to converse with her dad and refrains from telling him about her and Jonah’s argument. However, she can't contain her anger when Jonah brings a six-pack of beer. Agnes and Wren laugh as Calla and Jonah argue over where he bought the beer since Bangor is dry. Wren teases Jonah for giving Calla a hard time, and Jonah fake hugs her too tightly, claiming they are getting along just fine. Calla tweaks his nipple to make him release her.

Mabel has a crush on Jonah, but Wren’s interactions with the girl make Calla jealous. When he calls her “kiddo,” a nickname he once used for Calla, she wonders if Mabel is her half-sister. Overwhelmed with all she doesn’t know about her father, Calla runs from the house, claiming she isn’t feeling well. Jonah chases her down and explains that Mabel isn’t Wren’s and that her father once was a pilot for Alaska Wild but died in a crash. He admonishes her for making judgments about her father when she barely knows him. Through tears, Calla says Jonah can’t understand what she’s going through. He explains that he does know what it’s like to wait to repair a relationship until it’s too late.

Jonah tells Wren why Calla got upset, and Wren takes her a plate and opens an honest conversation. Derek died right before Mabel was born on a flight Wren was supposed to take, and he feels responsible for Derek’s death. Mabel was born early with complications, and Wren felt obligated to care for Agnes. Wren canceled his trip to visit Calla in Toronto when she was 12 because of Derek’s death. Afterward, Susan began calling him regularly, and they briefly rekindled their relationship over the phone. Wren felt it was too complicated and must distance himself for everyone’s benefit. He knew Susan would never stay with him in Alaska, but he loved her, nonetheless. All this information overwhelms Calla, and she wonders what life would have been like if they got back together. Still, she thinks Simon has been her father and is grateful to have him. Calla and Wren sit on the porch together for a long time as she updates him on the last 12 years of her life.

Wren insists Jonah is a good person and the best pilot working for Alaska Wild. Jonah came to Bangor 10 years ago when he was 21, still angry that his military pilot father moved them to Las Vegas. Calla is still unsure about Jonah, but she can’t deny his role in helping her and her father resolve tension in their relationship by having an honest conversation.

Calla returns from her morning run, and Jonah helps himself to coffee in the kitchen. He tells Calla to conserve water because they have a limited supply since it's delivered by truck weekly. After he leaves, she notices someone left a carton of her favorite soy milk in the fridge. Michael drives Calla to Alaska Wild headquarters. She meets the receptionist, Sharon, who’s pregnant, and James, who keeps the books. Calla apologizes to Agnes for her abrupt departure from dinner. Agnes shares with Calla about the day Derek crashed. Agnes feels guilty that Wren canceled his Toronto trip and blames herself for Wren and Calla’s falling out. Agnes and Wren have never been romantically involved, though Agnes had once hoped it would happen.

Wild Alaska's outdated business methods surprise Calla. They don’t use computers to keep the books or schedule flights; they’ve only recently created the website. Sharon’s baby is due soon and won’t return after maternity leave because she and her partner are moving. Calla offers to help with the administrative work, but Agnes encourages her to focus on visiting with Wren. Agnes says that life in Alaska is not for everyone, and she wants Calla to understand that her father isn’t the only one at fault for fracturing their family. Agnes respects Susan’s choice but feels she could have tried harder.

Calla watches Wren land his plane. Once he starts treatment, he won’t be able to fly. Agnes mentions that they’ve been losing business to other charter companies recently. Jonah arrives for a flight and tells Wren that one of the planes, Betty, is acting up. The negative talk about the company makes Calla worried that Wren’s business is in trouble. She tells her dad that she remembers him naming all the planes, a tradition his father started when he began the company. Wren is happy that Calla remembers this detail, and she recalled that he talks about his planes “like they were actual people-family members” (174). Agnes suggests Jonah take Calla on his flight, but they both object. Jonah makes a snide comment about Calla needing driving lessons instead, revealing to Wren that she can’t drive.

Calla and Diana are working on a blog post, but Calla is distracted by researching Alaska Wild’s competition. Other charter companies are winning out since Wild doesn’t have a website. Later, when Calla makes lunch, a raccoon sneaks in the door into the kitchen. As she tries to shoo it away with a broom, Jonah arrives and begins petting the raccoon he’s named Bandit. Calla explains to Jonah how not having a website hurts Wild’s business opportunities. Jonah asserts they are doing fine conducting business over the phone, but Calla contends that while that might work for locals, tourists prefer booking things online. Calla proposes that she build a website for Wild using the skills she’s learned from creating Calla & Dee. When he sees the website, he ogles Diana in her short skirt. As Calla explains her plans, they sit close enough for their knees to touch.

Jonah doesn’t completely buy into the idea but offers to help by showing her around and taking her to photo-op locations. Jonah admits he’s been hard on her since her arrival and concedes she is smart. Calla asks if this is a “truce,” and Jonah promises he’s being genuine. Jonah won’t comment on the seriousness of Wren’s cancer but encourages her to extend her trip. Wren has offered Alaska Wild to Jonah, which signals the seriousness.

Calla makes Wren a Greek salad for dinner. Mabel arrives with a cheesy pasta dish, and Wren explains that she’s learning to cook. Calla apologizes for being unable to try it because of her dairy allergy. Mabel says Wren hates vegetables, and Calla winces, thinking he wouldn’t have enjoyed her meal. However, Wren says, “I would have eaten every last bite, kiddo” (190). Mabel and Wren play checkers, their nightly routine, and seeing them together makes Calla slightly jealous. After Mabel leaves, Calla tells Wren about Bandit, and he assures her that the raccoon is safe because Jonah’s veterinarian friend, Marie, vaccinated it for rabies. Calla asks if Marie is Jonah’s girlfriend, but Wren says Jonah is private about his love life. Marie is just his friend. Calla shares their plans to create the website, and Calla asks Wren about his plans to retire early. Wren doesn’t say much and suggests they watch a movie together.

Jonah awakens Calla the next morning and tells her she has five minutes to get dressed and come flying with him. Calla insists she needs more time, but he tells her she doesn’t need makeup and fancy clothes to look good. She notices how he looks at her, dressed in only her pajamas, and detects a hint of desire. She, too, feels drawn to him in a new way. Jonah promises this flight will be safe and better than the last time. Though they are in a larger plane, they are still sitting so close that their arms touch. Jonah apologizes for the way he acted when they first met. After seeing pictures of Calla on Instagram, he assumed she was stuck up and unintelligent, the type of girl he hates. Now that he knows her, he thinks differently. He jokes that the flight from Anchorage was her “first time,” and Calla responds, “Yes, and you were subpar” (205). Jonah won’t tell her where they are flying, but he promises that the trip will change her mind about Alaska.