The chapter opens with the peddler’s wagon crossing the Wagon Bridge in the Emond’s Field Green and stopping in front of the Winespring Inn. At the arrival of the peddler, many villagers, including the village council, crowd around the wagon to hear news and purchase goods.

Rand and Mat file in behind the Village Council and are joined by their friend, Perrin Aybara.

The crowd demands the peddler, Padan Fain, to give them information about the outside world. Fain keeps the crowd waiting, fiddling with small tasks on his wagon to build tension and build excitement. Eventually, he stands and speaks, telling the villagers of Emond’s Field of wars in Ghealdan with a man that claims to be the Dragon Reborn and tells of Aes Sedai being dispatched to capture him as he can channel the One Power.

The Village Council and the Mayor, Bran al’Vere, alarmed at the talk of war and false dragons, asks Fain to come into the Inn to speak privately. Fain agrees and as the men disappear into the Inn, the crowd disperses, but Rand, Mat, and Perrin remain and begin talking about the news of the false dragon and the war. Mat tells them that he heard from a merchant guard once that the Dragon would be reborn in the hour of the greatest need to battle the Dark One, but Rand and Mat are very skeptical of this and they begin to debate about whether naming the Dark One is bad and whether Aes Sedai are all darkfriends.

They are interrupted by Nynaeve al’Meara, the village Wisdom, and Egwene al’Vere, the Mayor’s daughter, and apprentice Wisdom. Nynaeve demands to know what has them talking about things like this as she was not present for the arrival of the peddler. When they tell her of the things Fain said, she says that the Village Council is probably asking all of the wrong questions and that this should be Women’s Circle business and marches into the Inn to do her own questioning.

This leaves Rand and Egwene a chance to speak and Rand asks Egwene if she will dance with him tomorrow during Bel Tine. She tells him that in the afternoon she will as she will be busy in the morning and then shows Rand that her hair is now in a braid. This signifies that she is of marrying age, despite being a few years younger than he. In the morning, all of the unmarried women will be dancing around the Bel Tine pole.

Rand tells Egwene that just because someone is old enough to marry doesn’t mean they should and Egwene surprises Rand by saying that she agrees and doesn’t mean they should ever get married. She goes on to say she might become Wisdom and that Nynaeve says she can be taught to Listen to the Wind and that Wisdom’s seldom marry. She goes on to say that she would love to move out of the Two Rivers and see places and they have a small argument about that being foolish.

They are interrupted as Mat and Perrin rejoin the conversation and Perrin has received a coin from Moiraine as well and saw the black rider that both Rand and Mat had seen earlier. Perrin says that he saw the rider at the edge of town staring at the smithy where he worked. When he told Master Luhhan, he didn’t believe him.

Rand tells Perrin that he believes him and Egwene demands to know what is going on. Perrin and Mat explain about the rider and Egwene tells them that they are all being foolish and spreading dumb tales. They are all interrupted though as a man in shaggy white hair bursts out of the Inn and the chapter ends.