After her confrontation with Marcus and the Mithraic, Mother takes five of their Earth-born children – Tempest, Paul, Hunter, Holly, and Vita – to live on the settlement. As she and Father attempt to put the shaken newcomers at ease, Marcus struggles to survive alone on Kepler-22b. Meanwhile, Campion tries to ingratiate his new friends but begins to question Mother's motives.

Father tries to teach the children how to hunt some of Kepler-22b's mysterious creatures for food. Meanwhile, the Mithraic make a stunning discovery that potentially fulfills a Mithraic prophecy, and a debate about how to proceed ignites a conflict between Marcus and the Mithraic leader, Ambrose.