At dawn, the island animals gather in the Great Meadow during the Dawn Truce, a daily hour when no one hunts or harms anyone else. This morning, a larger group gathers because Swooper the owl has important news: during the night, Swooper saw a grass-covered creature in the meadow repeating sounds that seemed to imitate different animals.

Swooper explains that the creature may have been saying, “Hello, my name is Roz.” When Fink the fox asks where the creature was, Swooper points to a grassy lump in the meadow. The lump begins to move, revealing Roz, who has been camouflaged and listening to the animals.

Roz introduces herself in the animals’ language, but the crowd reacts with fear. Swooper calls Roz a monster, Dart the weasel tells Roz to leave, and several animals flee or hide. Roz calmly explains that she is not a monster but a robot, that she has spent her whole life on the island, and that Roz only recently learned their language.

Roz then states her goal: Roz wants the animals to teach her their survival techniques because different species survive in different ways. The animals distrust Roz’s motives. Digdown the groundhog fears Roz will eat them, but Roz explains that Roz has no need for food.

Fink briefly becomes interested when Roz says Roz does not need food and asks whether Roz can help find meat. When Roz says Roz cannot hunt but can gather berries, Fink loses interest and leaves. Roz looks around and realizes that every animal has gone, leaving Roz alone despite Roz’s attempt to introduce herself peacefully.