On the ferry, Zoe spars with the impatient Merle over his doubled fee. She asks Linus to use first names and later drops him in town to post his first weekly report. At the post office, a hostile clerk spreads bigoted rumors about the island’s children before handing Linus a DICOMY memo from Charles Werner demanding he leave nothing out. After Zoe haggles with the butcher, they return to the island.

In the guest house, Linus discovers Zoe’s provided explorer outfit and, despite misgivings, puts it on just as the children arrive similarly dressed for their second-Saturday adventure. Lucy theatrically leads the expedition. In the forest, Phee parts vines to clear paths while Arthur and Linus discuss RULES AND REGULATIONS, the human-made nature of policy, assimilation, moral gray areas, and the balance between sheltering and preparing the children.

Reaching a rocky beach, Lucy orders Arthur to scout a foreboding copse. When Arthur vanishes, Sal insists they go after him because Arthur would come for them. Linus enters first; trees surge up and a booming voice tests them. The ruse is revealed as Zoe’s, and when asked to choose, the children pick rescuing Arthur over treasure. The path opens to a clearing and Zoe’s ivy-covered house, which blooms with vibrant flowers.

Inside the earthy home, Zoe serves lunch and pie. Arthur is fine and later thanks Linus after Sal reports how Linus supported the group. The meal is lively and affectionate, easing tensions and deepening trust.

Outside, Linus observes Zoe mentoring Phee. Phee speaks of quaking aspens and shared roots beneath individual trees, then listens to the earth and grows a bush daisy, naming it Linus. Zoe remarks on the life beneath Linus’s surface. Touched, Linus tastes the pollen and quietly savors the moment.