Amy appears to escape from The Commission's headquarters, and makes her way back to the base in an attempt to be reunited with her colleagues and family. However, she starts to show more unusual concern for the current whereabouts of the two 'senders', instead of her own children.
The children respond to a distress call from Loppergarth Island. When they arrive, they find Loppergarth Island deserted, save for Gemma, a sleep-deprived young girl in shock after a week of compulsively trying to stay awake. They eventually ascertain that her parents and the rest of the populace have been consuming contaminated gull eggs, causing them to fall under a shared hallucination and gather to become comatose in the village church for an otherworldly crystal entity.
Global warming has led to the melting of the polar ice caps. Sea levels have risen dramatically, with devastating effects. Survivors Richard and Amy Webber of environmental pressure group Greenwatch are teaching children the skills they will need to help restore the damaged planet.