- After he marries Bea Sorenson and settles down, Miles Bjornstam stops talking about his radical political views and tries harder to fit in. The change is depressing for Carol, who always liked the way Miles stirred the pot.
- Very few people attend Miles and Bea's wedding, because they all think they're above these working-class nobodies. The whole thing is depressing for Carol.
- Carol gets elected to the library board only to find out once again that she's not capable of making any real change in Gopher Prairie.
- Meanwhile, Will makes a land deal that gets him a lot of money. He suggests to Carol that the time is right for them to have a baby. Carol still doesn't want to have one.
- A travelling show comes through Gopher Prairie and boasts about giving community courses in interesting subjects. But Carol finds that it's all too dumbed-down for her liking. The show makes everyone in Gopher Prairie (except Carol) feel like they've become much more educated.
- Two weeks later, World War I breaks out in Europe.
- A little later on, Carol realizes that she's pregnant.