When Alex was a student in Halifax, he goes for a beer with one of his professors. The professor warns him that he will make no money in the Maritimes, though he could make a fortune elsewhere. Alex drinks nervously, worried that he cannot afford the drinks and that he may endanger his nascent career.

Alex graduates later that year, with all his grandparents present, as well as other family members. At the same time, his sister is graduating in Alberta, which is deemed too far away to attend. As his grandparents discuss Scottish history on the ride home, Alex’s Grandma speaks about a letter she received from her sister in California. Her son has received a draft letter in the midst of the escalating war in Vietnam; the letter asks that the boy be allowed to flee to Canada. They agree to take the boy in.

While they drive home, Alex’s uncle tells him a story about the time he and Alex’s father took a job working in the area through which they’re passing. They worked in a lumber yard for months and then, while celebrating in the nearby town, came across a couple of clann Chalum Ruaidh, with whom they stayed for the night.