Ed and Chris have been fishing and a storm rolls in. While they talk, Ed is struck by lightning. This leads to some existential pondering. Being a Native person, he begins to ask questions that are beyond his ability to answer or to find answers. In plot element two a man who has been a forest ranger and living in a fire tower for many years, has been asked to leave--his job has been eliminated although there is another job for him. Joel is asked to talk him down but feels his own methods are dishonest. Because the guy doesn't relate to people, he proceeds to bore the daylights out of the townspeople. There is a tender moment when Joel decides to try to connect with the guy on a sweet human level. Finally, Maurice, in one of his attention things puts on a fireworks display each year, but for whatever reason, Adam sees it as a threat. This leads to some serious confrontations. All three of these things have to do with whether we listen to one another when we have problems.