Dee has just paid off a 5-million debt to redeem a deed for 88 Central Avenue tied to Chad Schroeder, a Canine Clan healer accused of wartime fainting. Town gossip praises the land's huge value but a breaking report reveals Noblewoman Mrs. Brown claiming Chad killed her pet; an angry crowd surrounds his clinic, threatening him. Neighbors mock Dee for matching with a 'quack', and Dee fears someone is trying to seize the land she reclaimed. She sends a man to the clinic to confront the mob and protect her property, setting up a direct showdown.