In the halls of Aunt Lydia's premarital preparatory academy, the finest in Gilead, Agnes is assigned to mentor a new Pearl Girl, and a fragile alliance begins.

As Agnes begins the rituals that mark her coming of age, she struggles with the confusing stirrings of adolescence. Meanwhile, Daisy is subjected to Gilead's system of discipline.

An incident on a school trip spurs Daisy's memories of Toronto, revealing her past and a world shattered by violence.

As the Green girls gather for a tea party, Daisy struggles to keep on task, while Agnes begins to understand what being a woman in Gilead means.

At a debutante-style ball where Green girls are paraded before Commanders, the illusion of elegance begins to fray. Agnes discovers Garth's status has changed.