As warfare reaches Wish-Ton-Wish, colonial forces clash with Native warriors, and the woman called Narra-mattah is revealed to be the Heathcotes' long-lost Ruth, producing an emotional reunion complicated by the fact that she is now Conanchet's wife and the mother of his child. Conanchet tries to protect his family, but the collapsing Native resistance leads to his capture and death, and before dying he urges Narra-mattah to return to her own people. His fate turns the recovered family's joy into tragedy, and the novel closes by emphasizing the devastating human consequences of war, cultural division, and the violent transformation of the colonial frontier.
