Episode 2 of M.I.A. begins with Lovely and Stanley engaged in a heated argument over the fate of Etta, who is bleeding profusely in the backseat of his car. Stanley urges her removal, but Lovely is haunted by a dream where she rescued a tiger from the ocean—and Etta possesses the necklace from her mother's possession.
Etta requires immediate medical attention, but she refuses to be taken to the hospital. Instead, they turn to Maribel for help. She's hesitant to treat Etta, but Lovely's persuasive skills eventually sway her. Meanwhile, Kazimir is seething in anger over the loss of the shipment of women. He agreed to work with the Rojases behind Federov's back, which means an entire shipment of women is now at risk. If Federov learns that there are women in Miami that he didn't traffic, they'll all be in trouble.
Mateo promises to protect Kazimir from Federov by placing Elias by his side until the next shipment arrives. Sam will join them too, once they've dealt with Caroline. Mateo and Sam visit their sister, Caroline. After a bit of banter and some shots in honor of their father, she shows them her next project: a skyscraper in Little Haiti. She needs an additional 20 million to secure the bid, but Mateo insists it will take time. Isaac had promised her that everything would remain unchanged, and now that Mateo says the money isn't available, she senses a shift.
Mateo insists it's not her concern, and she reminds them that she has majority control over RRG Holding, the real estate business that cleans drug money. Mateo and Sam lie about the Jonzes, Isaac's most reliable runners, being skimmers and having to be eliminated. Caroline is frustrated that her projects won't be approved due to a lack of capital. It turns out that Isaac wanted complete legitimacy after his death. The siblings argue, but Samuel steps in to promise to sell a piece from their father's collection and get her the money within a week.
Elsewhere, Etta regains consciousness, and Maribel demands a substantial sum of money as payment. Etta offers to work off her debt, but Maribel only wants cash by the end of the day. Etta knows a place where she can get the money; she offers to pay Lovely and Stanley to drive her there. Along the way, Stanley plays his favorite music, reminding her of her father.
Meanwhile, Caroline receives disappointing news from councilman Dominick about the Little Haiti development project. The council decided to go with a different company, and The GreyStone Developers won the bid. It turns out that Etta was supposed to get the money at her house. The place is crawling with police, but she has to sneak in and get the money to pay Maribel if she is to avoid getting caught.
As the police team, led by Isabel and Kincaid, processes the crime scene, Etta sneaks into the house. She does not find the money in the safe, but she takes a notebook and her savings. As she leaves, a police officer spots her, and she pretends to be deaf. He asks her to wait while he goes to get someone, and she takes the opportunity to escape.
On their way back, Stanley has an episode of confusion when he thinks his kittens are dead, but they are just sleeping. He drives recklessly, and a police officer pulls them over. Luckily, Etta knows how to get through to him from a documentary she had watched. Lovely is impressed by her ability to retain information. Stanley, Etta, and Lovely become fast friends, sharing the pain of losing family. Like Etta, Stanley’s family is dead, and Lovely’s mother is gone too.
Later, Etta pays her debt to Maribel and promises to dispose of her prints. Elsewhere, Caroline calls in Nancy to help deal with the developer who got the bid. At the same time, Elias decides to eliminate Kazimir when he becomes a liability due to his fear of Federov which has caused him to become paranoid. Mateo is not pleased that he decided on his own, and they realize, as his father had said, that Elias is only loyal to their father and needs to be handled strictly.
At the end of the episode, Stanley allows Etta to sleep in his truck. Lovely helps her with a ritual to say goodbye to her family. Etta swears to find the men who killed her family and kill them all. The scene is filled with tension and emotion as Etta's determination to seek justice for her family is palpable.
