Having already had the midnight sun, Cicely now experiences days of unrelenting darkness with the sun now rising at 4.02 and setting again at 4.48. Holling hibernates, Chris sculpts and, shivering in his office, Joel plans on getting away from it all with a two-week holiday in the Caribbean. Of course, whether the victim of a great cosmic joke that he doesn't quite get or simply working for the state of Alaska, Joel's holiday request is denied. Joel goes on strike but the residents of Cicely, who are without a doctor, strike right back.