Jason enjoys a rare day home alone by doing the things he is normally forbidden from doing: messing around in his dad’s office, listening to his sister’s records, and raiding the kitchen for snacks.

Then, spotting a flock of birds out the window, he decides to have his own adventure and follow the estate’s bridle path down to wherever it ends. He stops to enjoy the beauty of a garden and is nearly attacked by three Dobermans and scolded by their owner. Further on, he comes across some of his classmates who are waiting for a fight between Grant Burch and Ross Wilcox. Jason sides with Grant Burch and smokes one of Grant’s cigarettes in solidarity. When Ross arrives, the fight is intense, mostly because there are no adults to step in and stop it. Ross wins when Grant’s wrist is injured, and the onlookers must quickly switch allegiance to Ross’s side or become targets for a fight themselves. Dean Moran provides a handy excuse for Jason to leave, saying they are off to visit his grandmother.

Jason and Moran continue down the bridle path, searching for a third tunnel that supposedly leads through the Malverns. They run through fields, then climb bales of straw and lay atop a barn roof to enjoy the view.