Episode 4 of "In The Mud" kicks off with a haunting flashback to Yael's dramatic arrest. Yael's life takes a harrowing turn when her partner, a drug dealer, is fatally shot during a botched trade. In a moment of desperate self-preservation, Yael manages to slay the assailant and flees, clutching a bundle of cash, illicit substances, and her cherished daughter. With no safe haven in sight, Yael resorts to an extreme measure: she conceals the drugs within her body, only to be ensnared by authorities at the airport, sealing her fate.
The narrative shifts to the present, where a quintet convenes to deliberate on Maria's directives. Gladys poses a poignant question, querying whether the group intends to assist in terminating Amparo's life. They collectively affirm their grim resolve. Meanwhile, Marina is escorted to the court for her pivotal hearing.
Concurrently, Amparo arrives to meet Gladys, imploring her to let bygones be bygones, noting their shared survival of harrowing ordeals. Gladys, acknowledging the formidable challenge, urges Maria to exercise patience, explaining that Amparo is shielded by influential connections. Elsewhere, Cecilia visits Yael, bestowing her with tokens of affection from Eugenia.
Zarda and Victoria journey to Amparo's domain, where the trio unravels their intertwined tales of adversity. Inside the courthouse, Marina crosses paths with her newly appointed attorney, Luna, who briefs her on the day's judicial proceedings.
Behind bars, Amparo gains insight into Zarda's unit and the women who endure lives as sex workers. Zarda, cognizant of their collective past, implores Olga and Soledad to extend a semblance of cordiality towards Amparo. In response, Amparo confesses her actions were driven by a desperate bid for freedom, stressing that she harbored no personal animosity towards them.
Back in the courthouse, the prosecutor vigorously advocates for Marina's homicide charge. Marina's mother takes the stand to testify on her behalf, while Martin's brother, Dario, unexpectedly appears to recount his sibling's abusive relationship with Marina. He unveils Marina's frank desires to make Martin vanish, driven by her yearning to be with Dario.
Marina's emotions spiral into distress, yet the judge briskly dismisses her, prompting the hearing's adjournment. As they journey back to the prison, Alan endeavors to soothe Marina's turbulent heart, urging her to place her trust in the judicial maze. Their conversation takes a tender turn, culminating in a fleeting kiss, which Alan gently halts before passions could run amok.
Within the prison walls, a fresh dialogue unfurls among the inmate communities. Cecilia strides in, bearing tidings of the court's blessing upon a lesbian couple's union. She grants them permission to hold a modest celebration that very evening, amidst which the female warden, acting on Antín's directive, escorts Gladys to the infirmary. Gladys protests, but Antín insists that he can expedite her freedom in exchange for intelligence on Cecilia. She counter-proposes, seeking something beyond mere liberty.
Elsewhere, Zarda and Victoria confide in Marina, revealing how judges and lawyers prolong their cases for financial gain, years stretching into an interminable wait. Zarda, endeavoring to lift her spirits, hands Marina the earnings from her labor, inviting her to share their ward as her new home.
China returns from the hospital, her visage marred by burns that scorch half her face. Cleo attempts a reconciliation, but words soon ignite another clash. Recognizing China's inability to continue her work as an adult content creator, Zarda offers her a new bed in the rear.
Yael shares dreams of her future offspring with Noelia when Elba interjects, cautioning Noelia against contemplating motherhood, her decision for adoption already set in stone. Ana provides Marina with stimulants, hoping to ignite her desire for filming. China observes, sidelined, as Marina takes center stage in the narrative.
Cecilia joins Alan in festivity, celebrating his mother's natal day. It transpires that Cecilia played a pivotal role in facilitating Alan's adoption by his mother. By sheer coincidence, another woman arrives at the prison facility, her presence orchestrated by Antín.
In this vivid tapestry of human drama, each thread weaves a tale of hope, despair, and the relentless pursuit of freedom within the confines of constraint.
The woman, acting on Gladys' behalf, has arrived with the intent to terminate Amparo's life. Following the festive gathering, Cecilia pays Andrés a visit, who unfolds his desire to adopt a child. He inquiries whether Yael might entertain the notion of entrusting Andrés and his spouse with the guardianship of her daughter.
The subsequent day, Coco encounters Marina amidst the yard, seated amidst four others. She confronts Marina for deceiving her, revealing that Luna is simultaneously involved with Martin and his sibling, Dario. The revelation strikes awe into the women, yet Marina finds herself unable to articulate an explanation before Coco abruptly departs.
Cecilia endeavors to broach the adoption proposition from Andrés and his wife with Yael. She emphasizes how this opportunity promises her daughter, Brisa, a steadfast future and urges Yael to consider appointing Eugine as Brisa's godmother. Yael later conveys this offer to Gladys, who also discovers that Cecilia occasionally facilitated Noelia's temporary departures from the prison confines. Gladys shares this insight with Antín amidst the celebration of the lesbian couple India and Yaniela's wedding, attended by the remainder of the inmates.
At the restaurant, Noelia confesses to Cecilia her wavering resolve about relinquishing her child, yet the prison director strives to persuade her to proceed with the adoption. Meanwhile, Antín and his driver spy on Gladys, mistakenly suspecting her of an illicit affair with the younger woman.
That evening, amidst the inmates' revelry celebrating the wedding, the woman Antín dispatched to seek out Amparo carries out her grim task. Gladys attempts to console Marina, whose distress renders her receptive to little solace. China trails Marina, her envy fuelling an attempt to assault her for usurping her former life.
Alan's timely arrival halts China's aggression, as the plot to eliminate Amparo unfolds. Marina and Alan subsequently indulge in a passionate encounter in the shower, while Soledad ignites a blaze to divert the guards' attention. Marina relocates to Zarda's unit, abandoning her bed.
China watches in bitter envy as Marina embarks on the life she once led. The hired assassin manages to infiltrate Amparo's quarters, only to find her absence. She ventures to the greenhouse in search of Amparo, and the episode culminates in a breathtaking twist: the assassin, identified as Amparo, turns the tables, terminating the hitwoman within the greenhouse.
