Hilde is woken up by what she thinks is an explosion in the middle of the night, but everyone tells her it was either a thunderstorm or a dream.

It’s been a year since they pulled the van out of the lake and Hilde is having nightmares about finding Richie Fife. Hilde’s story got national attention but they still haven’t found Richie and Hilde is obsessed. Her parents try to get her to take a break.

Hilde’s hideout, where she works on her stories and keeps much of her research is flooded because they’ve gotten so much rain recently.

Pop Pop is moving in with them and the family makes a bedroom for him on the first floor because he can’t safely use the stairs. It turns out that Pop Pop has a secret hiding place that he keeps old newspaper clippings, on that says “Local Man Dies in Plane Crash,” a journal, and pictures.

It’s the first day of school and Hilde is trying to drum up subscriptions to The Magic Hour: Vigilantes for Justice.

At the police station, Sheriff Trip Johnson must contend with Agent Rutherford who has been sent by the State Attorney General’s office to investigate what happened with Sam. Tripp fears her job is on the line. Trip tells Hilde the explosion the other night was a transformer on her Dad’s farm, and he doesn’t think it was an accident, but with Agent Rutherford watching her every move, she can’t be Hilde’s source anymore.

Hilde goes to visit Mr. Junior Johnson, Tripp’s father. He thinks Wott Management caused the transformer to explode because he won’t sell his property to him. There have been low flying helicopters and even dead cows in his field. He thinks the company is trying to intimidate him into selling. Now they’re citing Eminent Domain to take the land. ‘

Bridget takes on Junior’s case. There is nothing about Wott Management online and they don’t answer their phone. The only significance they can find concerning the land is that it is next to the Katherine Woodruff mansion.

Much to Izzy’s surprise, Jessica Fife invites her to her Sweet Sixteen party. The party is being held at the Katherine Woodruff mansion.

Hilde, Danny, and Spoon crash the party so they can search through the house to see if there’s any connection to Wott Management or Junior’s property. When Hilde, Danny, and Spoon leave the mansion, they find dead birds scattered all over the ground.