Offred lives her life day to day doing menial jobs, grocery shopping and such, but spends most of her time thinking about her previous husband and daughter, fearful that they may not be alive. The story starts to develop into the telling of the relationship between Offred and her Commander. Not a sexual relationship, he starts sneaking her into his study to indulge him in simple the handmaid's tale season 5 activities that are now deemed illegal: a game of Scrabble, reading magazines. Since Commanders are forbidden to converse with their Handmaids outside of the monthly fertilization attempt, both are risking Offred getting caught and sent away. Offred cares not for the Party and its restrictive regime, and with the loss of her family, she feels that she has nothing to lose.

Meanwhile, the Commander's wife tells Offred that her husband is most likely sterile, as the previous two handmaids did not conceive, and suggests that she and their driver, Nick engage in a sexual relationship to produce a child. Passing off a child in this way is most certainly illegal, but the Commander's wife is desperate for a child and is willing to cover up for Offred.