A (probably) senile elder sends five allegedly heroic squirrels out from the sagging T.I.T.S. to retrieve Nana Burr's sacred Golden Nut before first frost, while Councilchief Bramble quietly prepares a backup plan in case prophecy behaves like prophecy. The crew dodges the hawk-haunted Green Desert through mole tunnels instead, turning one permit office into forged approvals, stolen maps, floodwater, rat violence, and a final audience with a Rat-King who has clearly been expecting them.