The town is busy preparing for the annual Town Meeting – a highlight of the year and even more pressing this year with the Eel Sisters announcing that this year's Eel Festival will be led by an Eel Queen rather than the traditional Eel King – news that is dividing the town as much as the threat of developers building over parts of the forest.
But with her tree found and the time capsule missing, Linda starts to question whether it's time to return home. A hunt for a leaving present for Pig Man finds her stumbling upon some feminist literature in the charity shop, and she is astounded to find that Simone de Beauvoir's words chime with her own experience of the futility of housework. When she discovers an eviction notice on Pig Man's cave, she hurries to the Town Meeting with the proof that the developers are pushing ahead with plans, unbeknownst to the locals.
Realising that her beloved forest is under threat gives Linda a renewed sense of purpose and a place in the community.