The episode commences with Tommy's encounter with Aislyng at a roadside café, halfway between Belfast and Derry. Go, Tommy! Meanwhile, Annie and Shane respond to an emergency call about a fire at a block of flats. Upon arrival, they find the Fire Service nowhere in sight and, upon hearing that there are still people inside, they bravely venture into the burning building. As they struggle up the stairs, Annie helps a small boy escape just before an explosion rocks the building. Shane and the boy's mother follow closely behind, both safe. The loyalist gang leader, Jim 'Dixie' Dixon, soon arrives on the scene. It seems this was his family, but who started the fire? Back at Blackthorn Police Station, Grace is completing an incident report following the break-in at the pharmacy in last week's episode. She admits that she came very close to firing her weapon and killing Eamonn Cunningham. "I was just waiting for the bang," she says.
As Police Ombudsman official, Geraldine Gilroy, bumps into Sgt McNally in the corridor after the meeting, she tells her that her report to the Policing Board will explain that Grace found herself in such a terrible situation because Cunningham was not arrested earlier in the day. However, just when McNally starts to take exception, she explains how she believes the officers are suffering from a lack of resources. "One day maybe you'll come to realise we're on the same side," she tells her colleague.
Later on, Stevie walks in carrying some pork belly sausage rolls with capsicum and chilli jam, which sound absolutely delicious. Grace tries to play it cool, but it's clear she's desperate for one. After reeling her in, Stevie takes the chance to apologise for being so overprotective. "Still want to be friends?" asks Stevie, but we think there's a lot more than friendship and sausage rolls on the table for these two.
As Shane and Annie stride into Blackthorn's briefing room, they are greeted like heroes, as Sergeant Sandra Cliff lays out the facts: the property that burned down was one of many used by Jim Dixon, who had just moved his girlfriend and son in the week prior. The front door was locked when they went to bed, "so someone must have thrown a petrol bomb into the kitchen," Shane posits. However, we know that Lee Thompson had a key to his flat. "It seems the Dixon/Hamill rivalry has now escalated into a full-blown loyalist feud," Cliff remarks before Murray Canning orders the Constables to be on the Mount Eden Estate today, conducting stop and searches. McNally disapproves, hinting at the first signs of friction between the two commanders of the unit.
At Belfast's Titanic Visitor Centre, Lee Thompson meets Tina McIntyre. "What does a nobody like you want with me?" she asks. Lee informs her that Dixon and Hamill have been using her Dublin drugs connection for nine months, but have done nothing but cover the city in 'peelers'. It's bad business for everyone, he says. He's offering her another option, and although she's reluctant, it's clear she's impressed by his ambition.
Realizing that the police have no intelligence assets in the Mount Eden Estate, McNally suggests bringing back David 'Jonty' Johnston, who does have some contacts in the area. However, bringing back the former sergeant, who had an affair with junior officer Hannah McClean in the first series, could be problematic. When she asks him to return, Jonty isn't keen, but McNally says he owes the team.
Meanwhile, at The Loyal Pub, Mags finishes a game of chess with her son Henry when Lee comes in to discuss their circumstances, living under the thumb of Dixie and his rival Hamill. "I don't want to live like this, so why do we accept it?" he asks. Mags is hesitant, but Lee insists she needs to trust him before a group of men with drums walk in.
It seems they're planning to give Soupy a send-off by marching that evening, but some of their number are concerned because they haven't filled in an application form. However, it's clear Lee isn't interested in application forms. "There's a feud going on," he's warned by his uncle Rab. "If you march tonight and people come out to see it, the place could explode!" Reluctantly, Lee agrees to at least ask Dixie.
Across town, Hannah McClean is investigating the 1978 chip shop bombing in which six people were killed. She thinks it might have been a cover-up. Apparently in 2006 a former RUC Special Branch officer, Robin Graham, tried to sue the government for PTSD, mentioning this specific bombing. The case was quietly withdrawn, but why?
As Sergeant Sandra Cliff and Constable Tommy Foster patrolled the Mount Eden Estate, they stumbled upon a man engaging in a vicious assault. When the assailant made a beeline for his weapon and fled, Tommy gave chase, swiftly incapacitating him with a decisive blow. The gym sessions had indeed fortified his muscles.
The unfortunate victim turned out to be Davy Hamill's son, fueling speculations of a retaliatory attack for the fire that had ravaged Dixie's flat. Canning's arrival at the scene saw him engage the assailant in a pointed conversation, inquiring about the reasons behind the impending war between the two crime bosses. Meanwhile, outside the car, Shane found himself asking Annie out for a drink, his words echoing in the backdrop of the impending storm.
Elsewhere, Grace conducted a stop on Dixie, while Stevie found himself in an uncomfortable position – waiting in the car against his better judgement as Grace approached Dixie. Dixie's demand for Stevie to exit his vehicle and raise his hands triggered a scuffle, which only escalated when Stevie lunged forward and grabbed Dixie by the throat. Thankfully, Annie and Shane arrived on the scene to provide backup and arrest Dixie, though it was clear that the crime boss was furious with Stevie and the growing tension between them.
Shane reassured Stevie that he could expect Dixie to file assault charges but reminded him of their past heroics that had saved Dixie's family. "If you don't file any nonsensical complaints, we can call it even," he said. However, Stevie was troubled by the repercussions of this incident.
In a quieter part of Belfast, Hannah McClean paid a visit to former RUC Special Branch officer Robin Graham. Despite his reluctance to discuss the 1978 chip shop bombing or his role in it, she left her number as a gesture of hope.
At The Loyal Pub, Rab tried to dissuade Lee from going ahead with the parade, especially with Mags' son Henry in tow. However, his pleas fell on deaf ears until Dixie appeared on the scene and gave Lee a blunt warning. "You're screwed, son," he told Lee before departing before the police arrived. But Dixie's loyalist rival Davy Hamill soon made his presence felt, and when Sandra informed them that the march was illegal, Lee asked if they could retreat the way they came. Sandra agreed, eager to de-escalate tensions. As the band departed, Dixie and Hamill exchanged threats across the street, and it was clear that trouble was brewing on the Mount Eden Estate.
Later that evening, Dixie arrived at The Loyal Pub after the march, fuming with anger towards Lee and smashing Soupy's urn before demanding double protection money. When Lee slid his keys across the bar, Dixie realized that it was Lee who had set fire to his flat, thinking he was inside. "Nowhere is safe for you now," he warned Dixie, a bold move indeed.
Yet at home, Dixie found himself facing a gunman who shot him dead. But who had ordered his death – Lee Thomson or Davy Hamill?
