In the fifth episode of M.I.A., Etta begins her quest to uncover the whereabouts of the six Juan Acunas in Miami, slipping into the shadows to survey all the addresses linked to them. After a few false leads, she finally finds the right Juan and follows him to the Jaguar, one of the Rojas' business fronts. There, she recognizes more of the twelve and heads back home the next morning, her heart filled with hope. They gather to celebrate Stanley's birthday, exchanging gifts and sharing their dreams. Lovely reveals that her new dream is to have a salon, and Etta presents her with a pair of earrings and a phone.
Meanwhile, Etta informs Lovely that she has found six more of the twelve. Juan lives in a gated community, so she must devise a plan to reach him. In another part of town, Pierre visits Caroline's office to deliver the bad news that one of the councilmen, Claude, is against her bid. He says that Claude cannot be bought with money and leaves. Caroline calls Sam and convinces him to put pressure on Claude to vote for her bid, believing that Mateo lacks restraint. Sam and Elias track down Claude and threaten to throw him off the building's rooftop. He agrees to vote for Caroline's bid and reveals that Pierre paid him to vote against her.
At the motel, a man tries to rob Leah but realizes he has come to rob the wrong old lady. She stabs his hand onto the desk, grabs his gun, and gives Etta and Lovely the day off. After handling Claude's situation, Elias and Sam are confronted by Pedro's men and brought to a restaurant where Sam and Pedro are waiting. Pedro insists on getting 50% of the human trafficking business. Sam agrees, but Mateo hesitates. In the end, he reluctantly agrees.
Meanwhile, Etta returns to the club and asks Carmen to teach her how to fight after the incident at the motel. Once again, Carmen turns him down. On the other hand, Mateo's mom teaches his kids that sharing is unacceptable and America rewards selfishness. She is disappointed when Mateo accuses Sam of undermining him by agreeing to Pedro's demand without asking him first.
Sam explains to him that Pedro would have killed them otherwise. Their mother dismisses their fears as weak. Sam attempts to articulate the reason behind his disclosure to his mother about Pedro's threat, but Mateo suddenly grabs him by the collar. Later, Elias confides in Sam, admitting that he's struggling with Mateo's leadership. Elias believes that Sam is smarter and that Mateo has not earned his help. Sam insists that their father warned them about Elias's betrayal. However, the henchman counters that he's merely stating the truth: Sam is better suited to run the business.
At the club, Etta lures Juan by offering him a VIP table. Lovely thinks it's dangerous, but Matt shows up and questions why Etta is ignoring him. She explains that she has a lot going on and their timing is off. He promises to wait.
Etta spots one of the girls she helped on the boat with a sugar daddy. She tries to help the girl, but she sends Etta away. Stubborn Etta lies to the security guard that the man is spiking the girl's drink. The security team kicks the man out, and the lady confronts Etta for interfering with her money.
Meanwhile, the VIP guest, Juan, finally arrives. Etta begs Lovely to spike his drink and lure him out the back. She promises Lovely won't get involved and that she will handle the rest. As planned, Lovely spikes Juan's drink and agrees to have sex with him in the alley. Juan follows her, eager to get the party started. Etta follows them and attacks Juan in the secluded hallway. Her anger takes control as he fights back. Things get chaotic, and Lovely steps in to help. Suddenly, Etta gets the upper hand and stabs Juan multiple times in a fit of anger. Lovely is horrified by the whole scene.
Just then, Carmen comes running and locks the door behind her after seeing Juan's lifeless body on the floor. She gives Lovely her coat and sends her to get supplies. Later, Etta and Carmen dump Juan's body in the ocean.
Etta apologizes, and Carmen asks her why she did it. Etta tells her that she killed Juan to avenge her family's death. She explains why her family was killed, blaming herself for it. Carmen warns her that if she doesn't stop, she will pay for her revenge in ways she never expected.
The next morning, Lovely tells Stanley what happened. She understands why Etta killed Juan, but she wanted no part of it. She feels that his blood is on her hands too. She and Stanley refuse to talk to Etta.
Etta calls Matt and goes to his place, sleeping with him as a distraction from the guilt she feels.
