Pa and Uncle John, realizing that the rising water will eventually flood the cars, ask the other boxcar dwellers to work together to build an embankment to stem the water. They know it will take the strength of all the men working together. If some refuse, all will have to leave. With the support of the Wainwrights, the men leave to talk to the other campers.
Although she is not due yet, Rosasharn begins to have labor pains. When Pa returns, Ma tells him Rose of Sharon's time is come. He is spurred to action, telling the men that the bank must be put up because his girl is having her baby. The men work feverishly in the downpour. As their labor continues through the night, they can hear screams coming from the Joad's car. Soon after the screams abate, a large cottonwood tree, uprooted by the flooding, topples onto the bank, ripping a hole that allows the water to pour through. Al and the others race to their cars, but are unable to start them before the automobiles are surrounded by water.
Utterly dejected, the men return to the car to find that Rosasharn's baby is born dead, shriveled and blue from lack of food. It is only a matter of time before the car floods, so Al suggests building a platform to keep their belongings dry. They spend the night huddled on the platform.
