Sniff learns that friends are far more important than possessions when he tries to make himself rich by defending the Groke in Moominpappa's impromptu court case, and the Hobgoblin finally arrives in Moominvalley.

Moominpappa is desperate to be the guiding light of his family again, but his efforts to become the new lighthouse keeper and prove that they can thrive on the desolate island only seems to push them further apart.