Jonas plans to leave the community just before the upcoming December Ceremony. In preparation, The Giver will transmit memories of strength and courage to Jonas. The night before the ceremony, Jonas will leave a note, which his parents will find the next morning, stating that he's gone for an early morning bicycle ride. He will leave his bicycle and some clothing by the river and then go to the Annex. In the morning, The Giver will request a vehicle and driver in order to visit another community. Jonas will hide in the storage compartment of the vehicle. The people in the community will notice Jonas' absence; they will search and assume he's fallen into the river, as the four-year-old Caleb did years earlier. The Giver will then return just in time to perform the Ceremony of Loss for Jonas. The plan seems perfect.
Lowry concludes Chapter 20 by showing the love and affection that Jonas and The Giver have for one another. The Giver tells Jonas that after he helps the people in the community cope with their newly found memories, he wants to be with his daughter, Rosemary, who, we now learn, was the earlier Receiver-in-training who chose death over living a lonely and isolated life filled with painful memories. The Giver is telling Jonas that he is planning to commit suicide.
