  Let G be a plane graph of girth at least five. We show that if there exists a
3-coloring phi of a cycle C of G that does not extend to a 3-coloring of G,
then G has a subgraph H on O(|C|) vertices that also has no 3-coloring
extending phi. This is asymptotically best possible and improves a previous
bound of Thomassen. In the next paper of the series we will use this result and
the attendant theory to prove a generalization to graphs on surfaces with
several precolored cycles.
