'The Testaments' Spoilers: Daisy's Big Secret Revealed, But There's a Major Change from Book to TV Series

The new series The Testaments is now streaming on Hulu and the first episode ends by unveiling a major secret being held by Lucy Halliday‘s character Daisy.

This marks Lucy‘s first major role after previously appearing in the indie movies Blue Jean in 2022 and California Schemin’ in 2025.

The Testaments is a sequel to the acclaimed series The Handmaid’s Tale.

The show follows young teens Agnes (Chase Infiniti), dutiful and pious, and Daisy (Halliday), a new arrival and convert from beyond Gilead’s borders. As they navigate the gilded halls of Aunt Lydia’s elite preparatory school for future wives, a place where obedience is instilled brutally and always with divine justification, their bond becomes the catalyst that will upend their past, their present and their future.

So, what is Daisy’s secret? How does it connect to The Handmaid’s Tale? And how does it differ from what happens in the book?

Keep reading to find out more…

Daisy is introduced in the show as a “pearl,” a new addition to the Gilead society who is basically going through training. At first, she seems like she’s devoted to the ways of Gilead, but when she’s forced to watch a guard get his hand chopped off as punishment, she breaks down and reveals that she isn’t fully supportive.

We eventually find out that Daisy is actually a Mayday spy who has infiltrated the Gilead society as part of the resistance.

In episode three, we learn more of Daisy’s backstory.

Daisy grew up in Toronto with her parents, who owned a vintage shop. One day she arrives home to find that her parents were killed. Elisabeth Moss‘s June shows up to rescue her from Gilead spies, who tried to abduct her from the police station.

June explains to Daisy that she actually was born in Gilead and was smuggled out of the country to Canada, where she was adopted by her parents.

So, how is this different from the book?

In the book, Daisy is actually June’s daughter Nichole (aka Holly at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale TV series). She is NOT in the TV show.

Margaret Atwood‘s “The Testaments” novel takes place about 15 years after the end of her “The Handmaid’s Tale” novel, while the TV shows only have a four-year time gap.

“We’re definitely trying to follow the overall story of the book, but the ins and outs of the actual storyline are difficult because characters are different ages, and we had to redefine the Daisy character to keep things practical in our world,” series creator Bruce Miller told THR.

“Holly would only be four or five,” he added. “So in our story, because of the timeline, baby Holly, as far as we know, is safe growing up in Toronto… for now!”

Learn all about the changes to the characters’ ages in the TV show.