At a forging contest Harlem and his team are humiliated when three Gold Rank forgers, ranked among the global top 20, outperform them and claim victory. The rivals demand Marilyn and the family's factory as the prize. They offer a last-chance condition: if Harlem's final blade blank forms and defeats the three Gold Rank forgers he keeps everything; if not, Marilyn and the factory are forfeited. Harlem wants to fight; Mrs. Towse and his mother insist it's impossible. Despite doubts and a junk picker's support, one more decisive round is granted, leaving them poised to make the final blank.