At an awards ceremony Hannah Woods, a food content creator who just won the Greatest Cook Award, is seized by a grieving parent who blames her for his son's death and accuses her of trying to elope. He drags her away, hurls insults, demands she name a lover, threatens to sell her to a brothel and strikes her despite her protest that she was at the awards. The interrogation escalates until someone shouts "Stop right there!" then another voice thanks Freddie for getting her, leaving Hannah in custody and her fate uncertain.
In a chaotic village square, a bereaved mother accuses the widow of adultery with Freddie, who recently returned from the army, and threatens to sell her. The widow begs Freddie to save her, claiming she's being sold to a brothel; villagers shame them, dredging up Freddie's absence and calling him a freak. Pressure mounts as elders warn the scandal will ruin the village. The crowd escalates from threats to action and demands the chapel be opened for a public punishment, shouting 'Cage drowning!' As they prepare the sentence, the widow's fate—and whether Freddie will stop it—remains unresolved.
At a public market a woman trapped in a cage begs to be bought, promising to marry any buyer, work as a slave, cook, and repay so she won't be sent to a brothel. Freddie, a local hunter, unexpectedly agrees to buy her despite sellers and townspeople branding her a cursed widow and warning she'll make a cuckold. The broker names a price of fifty taels and onlookers argue whether a hunter can afford it. After the sale, the woman refuses to be led away, vowing to die rather than return and shouting, "I'll kill you, hag!"
At a crowded market auction a terrified woman resists being sold to a brothel until a man pays 50 taels, produces a slave contract and shouts, "This girl's my wife now!" He forces her claim of protection, scuffles with onlookers—losing teeth—and issues threats to anyone who crosses him. He boasts about having a wife, but his violent posture only inflames the neighborhood. The episode closes with bystanders shouting, "You adulterous couple!", leaving his sudden claim and the woman's safety publicly challenged and unresolved.
Hannah Woods is found in stained clothes as a man who calls himself Freddie forces her to change into her aunt’s garments. He orders her to undress; she resists and pleads, but he threatens, "Do not cry, or I'll kill you." He insists she is his wife and claims the right to touch her, massaging and kissing her while forbidding her movement. When she tries to leave he says, "I'm your husband. I can look." The episode closes with him pressing, "Let's make babies," leaving Hannah trapped and the threat of ongoing coercion unresolved.
A young widow who married Freddie faces immediate hostility at the household: she refuses a forced pregnancy, insisting she's only 23 and doesn't want to be a mother, while villagers whisper she curses families. Freddie's mother and his aunt accuse him of spending 50 taels on the widow, demand he kneel, hand over his military pay, and take her back to the Lous. The aunt verbally attacks Freddie and the family unites against the widow. With Freddie cornered and support collapsing, the episode ends with the widow asking, "They're sending me back?"
Villagers surround Freddie and his new wife, demanding "Give us that wolf too!" and accusing Mary of cursing the village. They pressure Freddie to abandon her, threaten to split the family, and insist he give his money to their children, reminding him his parents died early so he must choose security. Freddie fears being cast out, then snaps: "This woman is my wife," and vows to break the legs of anyone who speaks ill of her. His family still calls him useless; he comforts his wife—protection declared, but the village's hostility and family rejection remain unresolved.
The episode opens with a chaotic street scene: a shouting woman is driven off as bystanders curse her. Inside, someone says, “Thanks, Freddie,” after he helps. A man tells the family their lives will improve and insists it's his duty to provide. He announces he'll hunt tomorrow and plans to bring back a tiger to get the remaining money, promising to return in three days. Gratitude turns awkward when the helped person admits they don't know how to repay Freddie; Freddie answers, “You do know how to repay me.” The repayment demand hangs as he leaves for the dangerous hunt.
Hannah is cleaning a salt-streaked huntsman who refuses to be coddled. After sharing food, he reveals a handcrafted bow and insists she learn to use it. He hands her the weapon, warns her to 'shoot to kill' anyone who attacks, and promises he'll take the blame. He quickly shows her how to hold and aim, presses her to practice, then prepares to leave on another hunt. The key turn is the transfer of responsibility: he departs, leaving Hannah alone with the bow and his order, poised between defending herself and facing the consequences.
On the third day after hunter Freddie vanishes—only his clothes are found—neighbors swarm his home to seize property and his military pay. They accuse his wife of jinxing Freddie, insist a tiger killed him, and argue the money should fund houses and land for family and children. When they shove and insult her, one villager justifies taking assets by citing past mistreatment of Freddie's household. She refuses and fights back with words, provoking the crowd into violent threats. The episode ends with the mob yelling to "tear her apart" as she dares them, her safety hanging in the balance.