Mark has put his father up in a small hotel. We learn that another man is looking for Mark, someone that Sean fears. Mark's job has made him closer to Sofia Silvestri. Sofia is charmed by Mark: he seems genuinely interested in her. Sofia's friend Emily warns to be careful. But Sofia has other worries. Her father is encouraging Andrea to fight for her. But Sofia won't be forced. In the meantime, Mark discovers a problem with the steel used to build the ship. But science is put to test by the divides in Belfast. The Protestant magnates, worried by the success of the Union, call in the Army to boycott a peaceful march. The Army sabotages the march in the Catholic area, causing accidents that seem organised by Catholic workers. Mark is there to show his respect for the workers.

Losing his job is not Mark's only problem. Sofia knows his truth. Mark tells her everything. Even about Siobhan and the baby. She eventually forgives him. It is also time for Mark to reconcile with Sean. Mark's situation seems to get better still when JP. Morgan arrives. When told the reason why his chief metallurgist has been fired, Morgan has him immediately reinstated. Mark starts looking for a viable alternative to the double hull, an alternative he finds in higher bulkheads. General Elections are in sight. Home Rule for Ireland is at stake. The possibility that London putting a stop controlling the island is strongly opposed by the Protestant minority, which fears the power the Catholic majority would get. Emily persuades her brother Michael to stand for Parliament, and Pirrie helps and supports his main counterpart in the shipyard.