Handy’s daughter Helle has been away from Arcadia for a few months. When she returns in the spring, Bit notes her femininity and is intimidated. Suddenly, helicopters fly overhead, carrying men with machine guns. Arcadians scatter to search for cover and loved ones. Bit helps Abe, who was paralyzed from his fall and now uses a wheelchair, get to Hannah. Handy calls the helicopters an indication of President Ronald Reagan’s war on drugs, targeting Arcadia’s unconventional lifestyle. Handy is especially concerned because the land is in his name and therefore he can be arrested. He calls out to everyone to help pull hemp out of the forest.

Bit is now 14. In the last decade or so, Arcadia has grown in number, which has caused divisions within the community. The members recently planted marijuana seeds to sell to the Outside. Doing so is illegal, but they follow their own moral code. Arcadia has been suffering from poverty for a long time, so selling marijuana is their last chance to earn funding. Hannah and Abe have their own secret plot because they no longer trust Handy’s management. Abe tasks Bit with protecting the Pot Plot; if the family is caught, they risk arrest or banishment.