The Burgess Boys

Abdikarim cannot stop thinking about the policemen laughing about the pig head. He goes to his job at a café, though his niece insists that it is dangerous because Zach has been released from jail. They both fear that the rally will only lead to further trouble for the Somali community.

Susan drives to work and observes that she has noticed that people she knows avoid her in public. She is upset that Jim has not called her at all, though Bob assures her that it is because he is out of the country. At her work, a group of Somali women enter—one hands Susan a pair of broken glasses. Though Susan knows that the glasses were not purchased from her office, she repairs them for no charge.

Bob is having dinner in a bar that he frequents—always alone—when Zach appears on the television: His “prank” has become national news and is being called a hate crime. Jim and Helen suddenly enter the bar, just back from their vacation. They talk about Zach, and Jim is confident in the attorney he has found for Zach. Jim wants to know when Bob will retrieve his car, and Bob promises to drive back to Maine to do so.

Meanwhile, as she receives a pedicure, Pam recalls meeting the rest of the Burgess family when she began dating Bob. She found it troubling how cruel their mother, Barbara, was to Susan and how Jim—who was revered by everyone—cruelly ribbed Bob. Pam became enchanted by the small town of Shirley Falls and even took a job there in the summer during college. Barbara softened to Pam in time, and Pam could see that Barbara had chosen Bob as her favorite, likely in response to the accident. She grew accustomed to their family traditions, such as attending various summer festivals. Pam and Bob later moved to New York, and Barbara, who disliked the city, rarely visited. When Barbara grew ill, Helen and Jim moved to be near her; after her death, they left Maine, and Jim vowed never to return.

Unpacking from vacation, Helen finds herself angry at the entire Burgess family for dominating Jim’s attention and ruining their vacation. She does not like this angry version of herself. At dinner one night, Jim reveals that Zach’s lawyer, Charlie, believes that Jim will be asked to attend the rally. Jim agrees that attending would be smart, in light of the possibility that the attorney general could press charges against Zach for a civil rights violation. Helen and Jim argue: Helen feels that none of the Burgesses are holding Zach accountable as they should be.

On the day before Zach’s hearing, Susan tries unsuccessfully to get a prescription for sleeping pills from her doctor; the office will not prescribe medication without an appointment. She calls Bob, who advises her to find another doctor and insist that she has a fever. Susan finally procures a prescription.

That night, she calls Bob, afraid to take the medication. He urges her to take a pill and stays on the phone, talking to her until she falls asleep.

Helen, Jim, and Bob discuss the results of Zach’s hearing: His bail terms have been improved and a gag order put in place. Helen is shocked that Susan was so nervous to take a sleeping pill. Jim discusses the rally, which he plans to attend and speak at. Helen refuses to attend.

Police Chief Gerry O’Hare recalls a meeting earlier in the day with himself and several government officials and religious leaders. The mosque’s imam was also present. There was much discussion as to whether the incident of the pig head was an isolated one or part of a pattern of previously unreported hate crimes against the Somalis. O’Hare is certain that the rally will deter further acts of racism.

Bob arrives at Jim’s office to discuss the rally and their plans for going to Maine. Jim is sarcastic and hurries Bob along, not wanting to give him any of his time. Though he is relieved to have escaped Shirley Falls, he wants to help the city realize that the Somali population is an opportunity to revive the town.

The influx of Somali immigrants is a controversial subject in Shirley Falls. The newspaper constantly prints letters both complaining about and defending the refugees. A white supremacist group has applied for a permit to hold a rally on the same day as the peace rally is scheduled. Susan is fearful for Zach’s safety, but Charlie Tibbetts insists that Zach has long been forgotten.

Zach is suddenly fired from his job at Walmart.

Helen gardens and thinks about how different her life is with her children away at college. Over breakfast one morning, she tells Jim that she thinks she needs a job. He agrees that this is a good idea, but Helen does not feel like she can return to the field of accounting, given the technological changes that have taken place. She suggests that she and Jim take a walk before he leaves for work.

On their walk, Jim receives a call from Susan, who tells him that Zach has lost his job. Jim tells Helen that he dreads going to Maine but feels that he must.

Bob and Jim arrive in Shirley Falls. They have dinner at Susan’s house and then check into a hotel, bringing Zach with them. Zach tells his uncles about his father’s girlfriend who, as a nurse, has interacted with many Somali refugees in the hospital in Sweden. He speaks of his father’s hatred of the Somalis, and Jim realizes that the stunt with the pig’s head was likely an attempt by Zach to get his father’s attention.

The rally is held the next day. Attendance is much higher than at the counter-rally across town. The state’s attorney general speaks, followed by Jim. Bob cannot help but be proud of Jim, admiring the way Jim fears nothing. As they are leaving the park, a neo-Nazi taunts Bob and Jim. Jim finally grabs the boy by the arm and demands that he apologize to Bob for calling him names.

Abdikarim attends the rally, too. He feels that the white residents in attendance look friendlier to the Somali community than they truly are. Afterward, many Somali men gather in his café to discuss the rally.

At dinner that evening, Jim predicts that the attention on Zach will die down since the rally was a success. Charlie Tibbetts will continue to request postponement of Zach’s trial so that by the time it arrives, everyone will have forgotten about the incident. Jim is certain that the attorney general won’t approve the request that the incident be treated as a civil rights violation.

Back at the hotel, Bob and Jim argue about Charlie’s strategy, and Jim insults Bob. The next day, they drive back to New York. Jim apologizes to Bob, explaining that his poor treatment of him is due to Bob having always been their mother’s favorite. When Bob arrives at his apartment, a new couple is moving into the unit vacated by the feuding couple.