The chapter opens with Rand al’Thor and his father Tam al’Thor walking along the Quarry Road on their way to the Emond’s Field. Rand and his father both live out in the Westwood, to the west of the village of Emond’s Field. They have their cart horse Bela hauling casks of apple brandy for the Bel Tine festival that takes place tomorrow. Tam brings the brandy every year and he has waited until the last minute this year to bring it to the village due to the winter being longer and more difficult this year. There have been reports of bears and wolves attacking humans as well as their sheep, so many have avoided travel.

As they walk along the road, Rand notices a rider garbed in black twenty paces behind him. The rider causes him to feel uneasy and fearful, but after stumbling and taking his eyes off the rider for a moment, the rider seemingly disappears. Tam didn’t see the rider and Rand thinks he may have been seeing things when Tam questions him on it further.

Eventually, they arrive in Emond’s Field. The village borders the Westwood and centers around a Green with a large Inn on the east end of the village called the Winespring Inn. It is the largest building in the village and is the home to the Mayor, Bran al’Vere, and his family.

As they enter the village, a man named Wit Congar approaches Tam and Rand as they walk toward the Inn and complains to Tam about the current village Wisdom named Nynaeve. He seems upset at her because the winter has gone on so long and she had predicted a much more mild winter. Tam, a member of the Village Council, tells Wit that the Wisdom is the Women’s Circle business, and Wit’s wife, Daise Congar, a member of the Women’s Circle,  overhears and berates Wit.

Using Daise’s anger at Wit, Tam excuses himself and heads toward the Inn with Rand. Many others invite Tam to visit them as they walk through the town as Tam is single after his wife, and Rand’s mother,  passed away many years before and he hasn’t remarried. Many of the people in the Two Rivers want to try and help him remarry, but he isn’t interested.

As they approach the Inn, Bran al’Vere, the mayor, greets them, and Tam, Bran, and another man named Cenn Buie talk about the winter and Nynaeve again. Cenn is another malcontent, but he happens to be on the Village Council as well. As Tam and Bran admonish Cenn over his complaining, Matrim Cauthon, one of Rand’s friends in the village tugs on Rand’s sleeve. Mat was hidden from the other adults, crouched behind the cart, and attempts to convince Rand to come with him as he and another boy, Dav Ayellin, caught a badger and wanted to release it on the Green to cause havoc. Rand declines, saying that he promised his father he would unload the cider. When Mat brings up strangers in the village, Rand mentions the rider in black he saw on the road to Mat and Mat says that he saw the same rider around 3 days ago and was terrified. Mat says his father didn’t believe him when he told him, so he’s been keeping it to himself.

Tam interrupts their conversation by greeting Mat and asking him to help Rand unload the cider. He tells them the quicker that they get the work done, the quicker that they can see the gleeman that was in town for Bel Tine. They learn of some of the other festivities planned for Bel Tine and grow more excited. A gleeman, fireworks, and a peddler would all be a part of the celebration. Mat and Rand begin to unload the cider into the Inn and Rand begins to think of seeing Egwene al’Vere, the mayor’s daughter, whom most in the village think he will marry.