- This act opens in the cell where Elesin is being held prisoner. His bride is there (nope, she doesn't get a name). Simon enters.
- Elesin and Simon chat. Elesin laments the damage that Simon's intervention has caused to his people, as well as the universe as a whole.
- While they're talking, they hear Jane shouting for her husband from elsewhere—Simon runs off to find her.
- While they're gone, Elesin kind of sorts through what he thinks happened when he was prevented from fulfilling his duty. At first, he thought his gods had failed him, and then he thought perhaps his marriage (and by this, he probably means consummating his marriage) drained him of strength and willpower.
- He definitely seems to think he would have overpowered the "weights" keeping him from the afterlife, if he hadn't been interrupted at that exact moment.
- Then Jane and Simon come back. Jane wants Simon to let Iyaloja in to talk to Elesin.
- Once this is finally permitted, Iyaloja taunts Elesin for his weakness and failure to complete his duty; she alludes to the dire consequences of this failure.
- After lots of discussion between Elesin and Iyaloja, women bring in a bolt of cloth covering something or someone.
- It's not immediately clear who or what is in the cloth, but Elesin refers to it as a "courier." Apparently, he needs to speak to the courier to fulfill what he can of his remaining duty. He's not allowed to get close to the bolt, though, so he asks them to uncover what is within so he can give "it" a message.
- Iyaloja removes the cover and reveals Olunde's body lying there. It seems that Olunde sacrificed himself to complete his father's mission.
- At the sight of his son's body, Elesin strangles himself with his own chain.
- Iyaloja shames Simon for his continued failure to understand their customs and for trying to help Elesin, now that he's dead. She also yells at him for trying to close Elesin's eyes. She then sends the bride to close and put dirt on Elesin's eyelids, as is customary.