As the pest-houses overflow, even Saint Paul’s is converted into a refuge for the infected, while Leonard, Amabel, and their companions leave London for Ashdown Lodge and Kingston Lisle only to find that pursuit and personal danger continue beyond the city. When the story returns to London at the height of the plague in September, Leonard again confronts streets filled with death and burial pits, while Amabel faces both Rochester’s relentless pursuit and the growing threat of illness.