Migrations

On board the Saghani, Franny admits to the whole crew that she spent four years in prison for double murder. Incensed, Basil leaves the cabin. Franny confesses to the remaining crew that she broke her parole to come to Greenland, fabricated her passport under the name Riley Loach, and lied about her occupation.

Ennis takes a vote from the crew on whether to turn around or to continue pursuing the remaining two tracked terns, who are heading South into unfamiliar waters. Everyone except Basil votes to go on. Later, Franny asks Ennis why they didn’t turn her in. Ennis responds, “you’re one of us” (164).

The Saghani makes its way to the equator, skirting the American coasts. Basil ices Franny out, but she grows closer to the rest of the crew. The backup generator goes down, and when the main power fails a few days later there is nothing to replace it. The crew begins to turn toward giving up the voyage. Ennis refuses and they sail on to Argentina, where they stop in Ushuaia to get supplies to fix the ship. Franny misses her grandmother, realizing that Edith loved her unconditionally but that she was “too intent on loneliness to see it” (196).