The opening episode of Malice finds Adam Healey's arrival in the United States, only to be halted at the Border Control and escorted to Homeland Security. As he embarks on a new job with a family in Connecticut, the unexpected detour disrupts his plans. However, it soon becomes apparent that Adam's past is hot on his heels. Jamie Tanner, the patriarch of a family he had previously worked for, has been killed. Adam's nonchalance suggests that he's not surprised, even explaining that Jamie was "not a nice man."
We then take a leap back to the Tanner household, where Jamie, the alpha of the family, runs a successful venture capital fund company. He and his family, along with friends Jules and Damien, are enjoying an extended holiday in Greece. Jamie grills burgers and plays his music at a volume that could make the neighbors jump, but he seems to be in good terms with his wife, Nat Tanner.
After a quickie in the kitchen, we meet Jamie's youngest son, Dexter, his eldest son, Kit, and daughter, April. They're overseen by Jodie, the current nanny. However, Nat isn't exactly thrilled with Jodie's apathy as she's too busy sunbathing.
Adam's arrival at the villa complex reveals that he's now working for Jules' family. Jules raves about him endlessly to Nat, and he makes a commendable impression on the Tanner family, though Jamie is understandably wary of him potentially infringing on his "alpha" status in the family.
Adam starts to infiltrate the family seamlessly, joining them on their family yacht and sifting through their luggage for various trinkets. He takes Jamie's passport and casually tosses it overboard before entertaining the kids with games and securing them a table at a restaurant.
Adam coaxes the girls into joining him on a dawn hike, displaying a more sinister side as he mercilessly dispatches octopuses in front of a horrified Dexter. Cracks in his perfect façade continue to widen as he unleashes a string of curses on Jodie while hanging the defeated octopus on the clothesline at the Villa. He rudely interrupts Nat and Jamie as they dance, and Jamie calls out Adam's false tale of a lit match at dinner, which was in fact a quote from Lawrence of Arabia.
In the morning, Jules arrives for her hike...but Adam and Nat have already set off. It turns out Adam gave her the wrong time. Instead, Nat and Adam go alone, where the latter continues to dig his claws in deeper. Kit has been suspended from school and is Nat's step-son, making the situation all the more complex.
Later in the day, Jamie takes the kids out for a dive off some rocks. Dexter is worried that he's going to hurt himself, but Jamie isn't exactly empathetic to his plight, muttering curses under his breath when his son shows fear. Adam tries a softer approach, but when he eventually jumps, Dex winds up hurting his head from the dive. After a quick trip to the doctors, Adam and Jamie agree to keep his injury a secret between them.
Adam also decides that he and Jamie should head out on a night in town together. Unfortunately, things aren't looking up here. After forcing Jodie to eat some of his food earlier, she ends up vomiting everywhere, much to the disgust of Jules and Nat.
Adam and Jamie head out together and end up in a strip club. Despite the drinks flowing thick and fast, Adam avoids most of the alcohol, drinking water, tipping his shots away and generally getting Jamie absolutely smashed.
Adam eventually brings Jamie home, who collapses by the lake. He monologues about how he could kill Jamie right now but decides to hold off for now. He wants Jamie to suffer just like he did, with a mixture of anger and vengeance etched into every word.
