As the waves crash against the shore, two religious brothers go for a walk. The conversation is dominated by the older brother, and heavy with implication. The younger one announces his wish to leave the order, and is asked if his father’s death has something to do with this decision. The younger brother is furious; he could have spoken to his father about anything. The older brother discloses that may not have been the case, but that he was proud of his son. Angry, the younger brother is determined to leave now. He has other plans for tomorrow.

Rising and falling sixteenth-note runs bring a fullness to the piano accompaniment in this scene, as two religious brothers sing in dialogue with one another. The sixteenth notes eventually settle into a repeating, rhythmic pattern in the piano's lower register, as the younger brother announces to the older brother that he is leaving, and tension grows between them.