Lilac and Gooseberries is the first real main quest of The Witcher 3 after the tutorial at Kaer Morhen, and it sets the whole story in motion. Yennefer has sent Geralt a letter, smelling of lilac and gooseberries, of course, asking to meet in the village of Willoughby. By the time he arrives, passing armies have burned it to the ground. Together with Vesemir, Geralt follows her trail north into White Orchard, a small Temerian village now under Nilfgaardian occupation.
White Orchard
The road into the village opens with a griffin attack on a merchant’s cart, a pack of ghouls feeding on a dead horse and a very tense tavern. Geralt asks travellers about a black-haired sorceress, learns that she was seen heading towards the Nilfgaardian garrison, and meets the commander there. He knows where Yennefer went, but he will only say once the witchers deal with the griffin that has been terrorising his patrols, which leads straight into The Beast of White Orchard.
A long-awaited reunion
Once the griffin is dead, Yennefer finds Geralt herself, arriving outside the tavern with an imperial escort. There is no time for a proper reunion: she insists they ride to Vizima at once, because the Emperor of Nilfgaard is waiting. The quest is short, but it introduces the tone of the whole game, with a war-torn countryside, a monster contract with a sad backstory and a relationship that matters more than any quest marker.