Episode 4 of The House of the Spirits begins with young Pedro and Blanca playing in the fields at Las Tres Marías. Occasionally, they would hang out with Old Pedro Garcia and learn pottery. Over the years, the two fell in love with each other. Meanwhile, Clara immerses herself in the world of magic and marvels at how time has flown. She also notices that Blanca’s aura has changed, and the girl admits that she started her menses, but the nanny helped her. It dawns on Clara that she needs to spend more time with Blanca. They agree to do that at the ranch.
Jaime is disappointed that he can’t join the family at the ranch because of his classes. The nanny offers to make him his favourite cake to take his mind off it. At Las Tres Marías, Esteban maintains the farm through his iron-fisted leadership. When his neighbour, Sanchez, mentions the growing protests from workers all over the country and the possibility of a revolution, Esteban brags that his workers wouldn’t dare to do that.
Meanwhile, just after getting to the ranch, Blanca runs off to see Pedro. While the young lovebirds remain happy in their secret relationship, Pancha is full of sadness. It turns out that her son died due to his alcoholism. Although Clara feels sorry for her, she is not sure how to help Pancha, as they never got close.
Clara asks Segundo to donate all their former school stuff to the local school. On his way home, Pedro meets with the priest, and as they talk they hear a scream. It turns out that a worker from a neighbouring ranch was killed and hanged by the border. According to rumours, he was killed by his bosses for wanting fair treatment.
The incident shakes Pedro, and he goes home to challenge his dad and grandfather for doing nothing. Pancha warns him that he is expecting too much because Segundo and her dad did nothing to help her, even after they knew Esteban raped her. Little Pedro (Pancha’s grandson, whom we will refer to as Garcia moving forward) promises to protect Pancha. His grandfather worries that Garcia shows no sign of compassion, but Pancha defends him. Later that night, she tells Garcia that he is related to Esteban and that he deserves to be the boss.
Elsewhere, Clara allows Blanca to sneak out at night to meet Pedro. However, Pedro is still angry about the death of the worker and goes to his wake. Blanca goes to the river. The next morning, she meets with Pedro, who tells her about the dead worker’s tragic story, and their love for each other grows stronger amidst the turmoil of their world.Blanca confronts her father, only to hear him falsely claim that the man's death was likely caused by something unrelated, such as women or jealousy. He warns her never to question him or allow notions of justice and fairness to seep into her mind.
Later, Esteban cautions Sanchez that the matter of the dead worker will only serve to fuel the workers' rebellion. He suggests they cover up the incident with at least an arrest. As they talk, they hear commotion across the bar. It turns out that a French Count, Jean De Satigny, is in town looking to invest. He comes over to greet Esteban and praise his ranch.
The next day, Blanca goes to listen to Pedro performing before the staff at Esteban's place. Unfortunately, Esteban is not amused by his song about the fox and the chicken. He forces Pedro to explain the meaning of the song. A worried Pedro senior tries to protect his son and asks him to keep quiet. Pedro ignores him and tells Esteban that the song is about patrons like him taking advantage of the peasants. Esteban casts him out of the ranch and warns Pedro Sr that he will kick the whole family out if another incident happens. Blanca tries to talk to Pedro, but he pushes her away and storms off. Luckily, Esteban never sees them interacting.
Blanca runs home crying and locks herself in her room. Clara comforts and assures her that she can still meet with Pedro. That night, Clara has a premonition about a bad quake. She goes to find Blanca and runs into Esteban. He tries to win her heart, but she reminds him of how he kicked Ferula out. She remarks that kicking Pedro out won't change anything.
Esteban goes to his study, and Clara worries about Blanca, who is at the river with Pedro. The earthquake happens just as Pedro and Blanca are making love. Pancha dies in the quake while Esteban breaks his foot. The death of Pancha hits Garcia hard. Although he is suffering a loss, Old Pedro goes to give Esteban help and save his leg.
Following Pancha's death, she appears before Clara and opens her mouth to show two missing front teeth. Unfortunately, Clara has no time to decipher the warning. She focuses on helping the peasant's family recover from the earthquake. Garcia refuses to take the food she is handing out.
Over the coming months, Esteban finds himself confined to bed, nursing his broken leg. The family rallies around him to aid in his recovery, with Jean even presenting him with an elegant walking stick. Meanwhile, Blanca occupies her time with pottery, working alongside Old Pedro.
Jean's intentions towards Blanca become increasingly obvious, but she subtly turns him down. Esteban is frustrated that Blanca desires to run the ranch rather than conform to traditional feminine roles.
Eventually, Pedro returns and summons Blanca to meet him. He shares his journey and the impending revolution. They end up making love, with Jean watching in secret. Like a rat, he rushes to inform Esteban of their encounter. Esteban mounts his horse and confronts Blanca on her way back, whipping her and calling her a whore. He then carries her back home, where Clara confronts him.
He attempts to justify his actions by claiming that Blanca was having sex with a savage. Clara rebukes him, calling him the savage for going around raping women. In a fit of anger, he slaps her, causing her to lose two front teeth.
Clara gathers Blanca and leaves to return to the city, with Segundo driving them. He shares that his family is also leaving the ranch, and Clara thanks him for his service. She removes her wedding ring and makes a silent vow never to speak to Esteban again.
