James makes friends with Gideon Hale, a young boy who stutters. However, the budding friendship is damaged when Gideon overhears James making fun of him. A wolf that follows James and Charles on a delivery trip may hold the key for bringing Gideon out of his shell.

In an unusual framing sequence, a 1980s couple bids on a antique folding table, and notice the "CI" brand as its maker. The episode flashes back to Charles handcrafting the table for sale in Mr. Johanssen's shop. Mr. Johanssen commissions Charles to craft more of the tables to meet demand in Minneapolis. Soon, Charles is running a small round-the-clock factory to fashion the tables, leaving his family back in Walnut Grove for weeks on end. An unscrupulous furniture factory owner steals the design for the table and begins to mass-produce the item at a much lower cost.