Veronica dawdles deliberately as Terry tries to rush her back in time to catch the boat about to leave the island. As planned, Veronica misses the ship, which won’t be back for three weeks. Back at the field center, Veronica makes the acquaintance of Mike, a scientist in his twenties and the third member of the team. He isn’t pleased that Veronica is still with them and can barely hide his resentment.

Later, Terry explains their respective roles. Mike is a biochemistry expert with a girlfriend back in London. Dietrich is the middle-aged penguin expert who heads the team. He misses his wife and children in Austria. Terry is single and prefers living among penguins to people. She is responsible for documenting and photographing the creatures. After Veronica retires to her bedroom, she hears a loud argument with Mike protesting her presence among them. He says that “old ladies” don’t belong in Antarctica. Terry begs the men to give the situation a little more time.

Back in England, Patrick receives an unexpected package. It turns out to be Veronica’s box of mementos, but it is locked.