Episode 3 of CIA commences in the bustling city of Hong Kong, where Eddie is enjoying a night out with friends at a lively bar. As the karaoke night heats up, he takes the stage, unaware that his night of fun is about to take a drastic turn. Soon after, the authorities descend upon him, arresting him for possessing cocaine. Despite his attempts to claim American citizenship, his pleas fall on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, Jubal introduces Bill to Peter Cooper from Counterintel, who informs him of a Russian Intelligence officer who traded a data dump for a reduced sentence. However, this information has been leaked, and they need to uncover who leaked it. Bill is tasked with this plan, but he finds it challenging since he's used to spying on spies and doesn't enjoy the idea of lying to his partner, Colin. He's told to make his colleagues see beyond FBI liaison titles.
Later, Bill meets with Nikki and Colin, lying to them that he had a traffic issue; that's why he's late. Bill is informed about Eddie Montrose, the CFO of Hong Kong Financial, who is detained in Hong Kong. It turns out that Eddie isn't a finance guy but an intelligent officer deeply involved in NOC. If he's confirmed to be a spy, he'll be charged with the death penalty. To avoid that, Nikki insists they need to bring him home soon. She volunteers to go to China, but Colin questions why she's taking such a risk. It's here she reveals that Eddie had her back when they were in Hong Kong, and it's her turn to have his.
Bill and Colin visit Jimmy, who will wire money to someone in China on behalf of Nikki. He uses coded language, reminding them that it always rains in Hong Kong. The bagman assures Nikki that the documents will be ready to release Eddie. Eddie is released and heads to the airport with Nikki.
Meanwhile, Colin gets a call from Jimmy informing him that the bagman got arrested. Colin calls Nikki immediately to tell her to book another flight. In turn, she tells Eddie to disappear as soon as he can. Nikki gets arrested and taken to the interrogation room. Huang questions her motive in Hong Kong and says that she might stay for a long time.
Back in the office, the team is piecing together information to know how to free Nikki before she gets transferred to the mainland prison. Gina is tasked with finding everything about Chen. Meanwhile, Colin meets Consul General Chen, while Larry advises him to act diplomatically. Chen's interpreter, Kai, is present. The meeting ends unsuccessfully. Later, Colin comes up with an idea of having a trade-in by arresting a Chinese asset. Bill requests Jubal to get them a Chinese asset.
Bill and Colin secure a Chinese spy, Lin Wu, who manages to slip out of their hands. Meanwhile, Nikki refuses to give out any information. Huang presents evidence that they have been spying on her longer than she could imagine.
Bill and Colin rummage through Lin's apartment, only to find a man's fragrance belonging to Kyle Neelam, giving them a lead on her whereabouts. Meanwhile, Huang presses Nikki harder to reveal the people she's working with, but this doesn't break her. She's taken away to be tortured.
The scene shifts to Colin and Bill, who are visiting Neelam at his apartment. He denies having seen Lin, but Bill senses her presence and smokes her out. A fight ensues, but she's finally subdued and cuffed. Colin visits Chen for a prisoner exchange, which he agrees to.
Back in Hong Kong, Nikki is still held hostage but adamant about not giving any information. A man is about to extract her tooth with a pair of pliers, but Huang comes back to halt the process. Unfortunately, Colin and Bill get attacked while transferring Lin to the safe house. It throws the entire team into shambles as Lin gets killed. Without a bargaining chip, the prisoner exchange swap is close to zero. They hatch a plan to lure Chen, thinking he's the one who killed Lin.
Bill informs Chen that the asset was shot but is still alive. They pretend to go back to the safe house to capture whoever follows them. Gina identifies a masked man, but she has yet to confirm his real name. The guy attacks Colin, but Colin overpowers him. To their surprise, it's not Chen, but his interpreter Kai. They arrest him and take him to the exchange meet.
After arresting Kai, the team heads to the meeting point where the exchange will happen. Colin informs the China team that Lin was killed by Kai, who had made copies of Lin's intel. Once it is revealed that Kai was selling the information to the highest bidder, Huang agrees to switch prisoners. Nikki is released, and the team is relieved. She's happy to hear that Eddie landed safely.
Colin and Bill bid each other goodbye while complimenting each other for a job well done. At the end, we see Bill calling Jubal, telling him that he thinks he's in.
