During the evening of August 6, the survivors struggle to endure and help each other. The city is a ball of flame, and the park is filled with radiation rain and whirlwinds. The suffering of thousands of people and their wounds and burns are described repeatedly. Mr. Tanimoto must remind himself that these creatures are human beings. Relentlessly, he ferries boatloads of people upstream to get to higher ground. Several injured priests and the Nakamura family are evacuated to the Novitiate in the hills. The injured and dying are so numerous that the doctors no longer help the badly injured because they are not going to survive. Miss Sasaki is finally evacuated and begins many days and weeks of being moved from one hospital or aid station to another.
As time goes by, order is slowly restored, but the overwhelming scene of misery and human suffering is a sharp counterpoint to the official news released from various governments. On August 9, a second bomb is dropped, this time on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. On August 15, the Emperor of Japan gives a radio address telling his people that Japan has surrendered.
Next, the horrible revelations of radiation illness commence. Dr. Kleinsorge must go to a hospital in Tokyo. He will never again regain his energy or health. Miss Sasaki, also in a hospital, is so depressed over being crippled for the rest of her life that her doctor asks Father Kleinsorge to visit her. Dr. Sasaki spends months and years analyzing the effects of the radiation and how best to treat it; he marries and begins a medical practice. Dr. Fujii also opens a medical practice and begins socializing with the occupation officers. Mrs. Nakamura and her children lose their hair and suffer from various illnesses, but because they are so poor, they cannot afford to see a doctor. Mr. Tanimoto attempts to operate his church out of his badly destroyed home. The survivors struggle on with the effects of the radiation, and attempt to find ways to manage despite their injuries.
