It is a hot summer day, and the elf Tuncis is worried that the stream might dry up. Austras Koks reassures him that when it gets too dry, Varde always calls on Pērkonvīrus, and then rain falls over the forest. But this time things are different—the Underground Mother puts Vardi to sleep and orders her helpers to guard him. The time has come for Austra's tree spirits to save Tuncis and the other forest dwellers from drought.