Netflix’s East of Eden has one main question guiding the series: Are we bound to repeat the same sins as our parents and forebears, or do we have the choice to forge our own noble paths, despite the circumstances? Florence Pugh executive produces and stars as Cathy Ames, the show’s guiding evil presence who leaves an indelible mark on the Trask family through abandonment, betrayal, and shame. Her impact extends beyond just her husband Adam and their two kids, Cal and Aron.Though a second season seems unlikely given the nature of its ending, East of Eden left viewers with a compelling ending that showed the many faces grief, free will, and morality can take in humans. Here’s everything that happened in the finale episode of East of Eden on Netflix.Spoilers below.Aron finally uncovers the truth about his mother, Cathy.Aron spends the entirety of his young life believing that his and Cal’s mother, Cathy Ames, died when they were children. The truth—which their father Adam and their live-in housekeeper, Lee, intentionally hid from them both—is that Cathy changed her name to Kate Albey, and operates a brothel one town over after killing its former madam, Faye. Cal, however, has lived with the knowledge that his mother has been alive for years, and confirms her identity by visiting the brothel himself in the previous episodes.Prior to the finale, Cal hatches a plan to earn back Adam’s lost wages from his failed frozen lettuce shipping business. Cal makes a deal with Tom Hamilton to upsell beans amid the war, which earns him $15,000 from war profiteering efforts. When Cal attempts to gift Adam, a veteran, the money over a family dinner, his father is disgusted by him profiting off of dead and wounded soldiers and ultimately refuses the money.In a one-on-one after the heated moment, Aron and Cal nearly get into an argument of their own. Aron berates Cal for being selfish and thoughtless for believing that Adam would ever want that type of money and declares that he is “done” with protecting Cal. Cal, in response, takes Aron to the brothel to see their mother, and the night ends with Aron punching Cal in the face.Cathy descends into madness and takes her own life.After seeing Aron and Cal together at her brothel, Cathy continues her descent into madness and hears Charles’s voice speaking to her, despite him dying years ago in the war. She sends one of the girls who works at the brothel on a candy run to purchase treats for the other girls, and in that time, drinks the rest of her morphine and dies.But just before drinking the morphine, she writes her will. In it, she leaves the brothel to Aron. The police inform Adam that Cathy died, and he insists upon claiming her body, despite their years of separation.Adam nearly dies after finding out about Aron’s passing.After seeing Cathy at the brothel, Aron—who recently decided to drop out of Stanford University after feeling out of place—goes missing for two days; he later sends a letter to his family revealing that he enlisted in the army. Aron’s girlfriend, Abra Bacon, didn’t know that Aron was joining the war, and Adam has a cerebral hemorrhage when he finds out.Cal later runs into Abra, who tells him that she received a letter from Aron saying to stay away from his family. Cal tells her not to abide Aron’s wishes and invites her to see azaleas blooming; she suggests a picnic, during which they share a kiss.While Cal and Abra are at the picnic, Adam receives word that Aron died in battle in France and has a stroke. Upon returning from the date with Abra, Cal is consumed with guilt and confesses to Adam—who is awake but paralyzed—that he brought Aaron to the brothel to inform him of their mother’s existence, and says he’s the reason why Aaron enlisted and died in the war.Lee begs Adam, despite his state, to give Cal some sort of reassurance that he is not to blame for Aron’s death. In what could be his last breath, Adam says the word timshel, a Hebrew word that translates to “thou mayest.” (However, the actual Hebrew word is “timshol” and means “thou mayest rule over.” John Steinbeck, the author of East of Eden, is believed to be slightly off with his translation.)In saying timshel, Adam finally offers Cal the love that he’s withheld from him throughout the years, as well as forgiveness and the opportunity to turn over a new leaf, leave their family trauma behind, and choose the path of righteousness in the years ahead. Cal, for the first time in the series, hugs his father as he lies in bed, a moment that tragically doubles as first time they share a true connection.