John tries diligently to get Noah out of prison. He's in court arguing that Noah is Suzanna's property so he should be transported back to Macon, but he hopes in doing that he can help Noah escape. When he visits Noah in jail he lets Noah know that Rosalee is safe.

Rosalee is with Harriet Tubman helping her free slaves and rescue a man from slavecatchers. Rosalee has spent months learning everything about helping fugitive slaves escape from Harriet Tubman. Her goal is to go back for her family. 

Harriet tells her a bit about her own past and warns her that men aren't reliable (in reference to Noah) and that it may not be best to put all her energy into pining after him. Rosalee calls her out on being jaded from her own marriage.

Noah plots his escape while inside the prison. He thwarts another escape attempt by others because they weren't doing it right and put his at risk. He told them he was one of the Macon 7 and promised he'd help them escape when he did. 

He whittled a ring while he was in jail to give to Rosalee. 

When John realizes that they won't let Noah out and that he's scheduled to be hanged, he and Rosalee plan to free him during the execution. John expresses being tired of not being able to do things and wanting to do more. He's dedicated to the cause in a whole new way and he wants to take a bigger role. 

He and Elizabeth discuss him running for office so that he can he do real change. 

He and Rosalee manage to rescue Noah just as he is about to be hanged, but while they're fleeing someone else kidnaps him. 

John and Elizabeth head to the courthouse so he can sign his papers to run for office, and John is gunned down, shot in the head right on the court steps. 

Ernestine is at a new plantation in North Carolina. She is doing manual labor working out in the fields. She has a new boyfriend, an abusive man named Hicks, and she's become an addict. She sees visions of Pearly mae and is being driven insane because she is wallowing and defeated.

Elizabeth joins a mixed group of women led by Georgia, known as The Sewing Circle. They are abolitoinist.  they debated slavery and the methods to helping end it and Georgia teaches Elizbaeth how to shoot.