Nicole's Journey to Gilead and Back

Nicole (Daisy) grows up in Canada as an adopted child, learns her true identity as Baby Nicole, and willingly infiltrates Gilead as a courier.

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A Normal Teenager in Toronto

A Hidden Life The Clothes Hound Nicole, known as Daisy, lives with her adoptive parents Neil and Melanie, who run a used clothing store. They are kind but overly protective. Nicole is unaware that they are Mayday operatives and that she is the legendary Baby Nicole. She feels a lack of connection, like a cat being cat-sat. The Protest March Nicole sneaks out to join an anti-Gilead protest, despite her parents' prohibition. She is caught in a riot and rescued by Ada, a family friend. The protest is televised, and Neil and Melanie panic because Nicole's face is now on the news. They realize they are compromised. The Birthday Bombs On her sixteenth birthday, Neil and Melanie are killed by a car bomb planted by Gilead agents. Ada spirits Nicole away to a safe house. The trauma of the explosion and the loss of her parents shatters her world. She is now alone and in danger.

Learning the Truth

The Revelation A New Identity Elijah and Ada tell Nicole that she is not Daisy but the kidnapped Baby Nicole, smuggled out of Gilead as an infant. Her biological parents are a Handmaid and a Mayday operative. She is furious at the deception but also feels a strange sense of destiny. The Source's Demand Elijah explains that their inside source in Gilead has demanded that only Baby Nicole can retrieve a document cache that will destroy Gilead. The source has provided a tattoo pattern to identify her. Nicole is terrified but agrees to go, feeling responsible for the deaths of Neil and Melanie. Training Begins Nicole undergoes physical training with Garth, learning self-defense and how to pray like a Gilead convert. She also gets a scarification tattoo: GOD/LOVE, which will later hold a microdot. She is taught to act like a street person to attract the Pearl Girls.

Street Life and Conversion

Playing the Part Panhandling Nicole, now called Jade, lives on the streets with Garth, begging for money. She sleeps under bridges and in cemeteries. She is dirty and hungry. The Pearl Girls spot her and approach her, offering salvation. The Fake Sale Garth pretends to sell her to the Pearl Girls for money. Nicole is taken to a condo, where she is given a silvery dress and a pearl necklace. She is told that she will be a Pearl of Great Price. She is also given a new identity as Aunt Dove for the border crossing. The Flight to Gilead Nicole flies on a private jet to Gilead. She is greeted by a line of Angels and taken to Ardua Hall for the Thanks Giving ceremony. She is presented to Aunt Lydia as a new convert. Inside, she is terrified, but she keeps up the act.

Life at Ardua Hall

Adjusting to a New World The Vigil and Particicution Nicole participates in an all-night vigil and then is forced to witness a Particicution where two men are torn apart by Handmaids. She is horrified but tries to hide her reaction. She is assigned to live with Aunts Victoria (Agnes) and Immortelle (Becka). Clashes with the Aunts Nicole finds the food disgusting, the rules stifling, and the piety hypocritical. She argues with Becka about God and self-defense. She does physical exercises in her room, which shocks the Aunts. Despite her rebelliousness, she forms a wary bond with Agnes. The Secret Meeting Aunt Lydia calls Nicole to her office. She reveals that she is the source and that she has placed a microdot inside Nicole's tattoo. Nicole is to pretend to be a Pearl Girl and return to Canada with the hidden documents. The fate of Gilead depends on her.

The Escape and the Rowboat

Flight to the Coast The Punch Nicole and Agnes leave Ardua Hall at dawn. When Aunt Vidala confronts them, Nicole punches her in the chest, knocking her out. They escape through the gate and are driven to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. They take a bus to a remote store, where they change into civilian clothes. The Boat Ride They are taken by a motorboat to a schooner, the Nellie J. Banks. They hide in a fish-smelling hold. The ship's engine fails, and they are forced to take an inflatable boat to the shore. Nicole's arm is infected, but she rows with her good arm, shouting encouragement to Agnes. The Landing They make landfall on a rocky beach in Nova Scotia. Nicole is exhausted and feverish. She is rescued by Ada and Garth. She is taken to a hospital where the microdot is removed. She is reunited with her mother and sister. The documents are delivered to Mayday, triggering the fall of Gilead.

before Nicole's sixteenth birthday, living with Neil and Melanie

the day after the bomb, at the Carnarvon safe house

about a week after the bomb, in Toronto

the first few days after arriving in Gilead

the final days of the story