As the storm threatens to break, Amelia Blacktail arrives at Zahnrad's workshop. Finding it shut down and apparently empty, she has a look at the Kadie's secret airship plans, and tests out the brand new staff he made for her.

Investigating a noise, she finds Zahn asleep behind a woodpile, and wakes him up by tickling his nose. Zahn doesn't like being waked up that way, it turns out. After a snack and some tussling, Amelia reminds him about the storm. Zahn rushes, claiming he overslept too long.

The pair work together to string the storm nets that protect the waterwheel gearworks, and Zahn realizes the wheels are being stressed to much by the increased water flow. He shows Amelia how to disconnect the wheels from the drive axles, but on the second one Zahn gets konked on the head when the mechanism is upset by a fish getting into the gears.

Amelia tries to unlock the final wheel, but the system is jammed. She uses her axe to cut through the lock in time, though, and helps Zahn back to his cabin. There, he calls the rest of the clan over a speaking tube to let them know about the damage.

While he rests, Amelia fires the cabin's stove and sets the clothes out to dry, wearing a blanket in the meantime. The two discuss their various familial and social dysfunctions and the ultimate goal of Zahn's work. When Amelia tries to get back at him for an earlier tickling, he falls out of his hammock. Amelia gets pushed into it, and the tangling of the blanket while it twists around leaves her in a compromising position, which Zahn's mother walks in on.