The episode kicks off with a breathless young Tess Avery (Jenna Lamb) dashing down the road. As she storms into her home, her heart skips a beat upon sighting a police cruiser stationed outside her blazing house. With urgency in her voice, she screams for her young brother Lucas (Liam Serg), who dashes into her embracing arms as she helplessly watches the flames consume their dwelling.
Flash forward to the present, where Jake Campbell (Daniel Gillies) confides in Tess Avery (Dolly Lewis), now grown, revealing that Damien Sumner (Steve Bacic) is their mark. Ray Stoker (Max Montesi), the ruthless gang leader, accuses Damien of skimming profits from his cocaine imports and intends to make an example out of him. Jake, working undercover within Stoker’s gang, underscores the necessity to locate Damien, coerce him into divulging the location of his stash, and stage his death. He pleads with Tess to extricate him from the gang's clutches, but she insists he's too close to quitting now. Jake counters by highlighting her prowess as a top interrogator and her outsider status, which she reluctantly acknowledges and agrees to assist him.
Elsewhere, Sunny Patel (Agam Darshi) awakens with a start, startled to find Kye (Ennis Esmer) in her bed, causing her to tumble off the mattress. Kye hastily inquiries about her well-being and whether their impromptu sleepover was premature. Sunny, feigning eagerness, climbs back into bed and plants a kiss on him. Realizing he's late, Kye scrambles to gather his clothes and dress. As he hurries out the door, Sunny blurts out her love for him before quickly catching herself.
Tess receives a frantic call from Lucas, who informs her of his predicament and begs for a ride. Arriving at the bowling alley, Tess discovers Lucas and Matt Alleyne (Jarod Joseph) inspecting Craig Young’s (Ian Collins) overheating vehicle. She reproaches Lucas for summoning Matt when he knew she was en route, accusing him of unreliability and forgetfulness, referencing a missed cake-tasting due to her casual attire. Lucas expresses anxiety about Craig calling off their wedding upon discovering the car issue, but Matt reassuringly asserts Craig's deep affection for him. Tess reveals her decision to go undercover, vows not to miss the wedding, and embraces Lucas tightly.
Meanwhile, Sunny confides in Fiona about rekindling contact with Varneet after a four-year silence and her intimate encounter with Kye. Fiona cautions her against rushing things and encourages her to live her own life. Sunny denies that she is living Tess's life. At this time, her cell phone rings. Seeing that it is Tess calling, she hurriedly hangs up the phone.
In a secluded street corner, Tess and Detective Leo Li (Tony Giroux) park their car. Tess lays out their plan to stage Damien’s death, aiming to thwart Stoker’s intentions. Jake emphasizes their 24-hour deadline for execution. Leo alerts Jake to Damien’s presence, walking south on Croft Lane. Jake approaches Damien and keeps him in check until Leo arrives. Tess swiftly opens the van’s back door. Jake Tazes Damien and shoves him inside, while Leo slaps a hood over his head and speeds off. Damien's accomplice, Jack, walks in the opposite direction, oblivious to the unfolding drama.
Moments later, Leo pulls up in front of a nondescript building, assists Damien out of the van, and guides him inside. Tess trails closely behind them, her determination unwavering as they venture deeper into their daring scheme.
Tess confronts Damien, informing him of his arrest for drug trafficking. Leo, standing nearby, issues a grim warning: Stoker seeks his life, and they seek information in return. Damien, sensing a bargaining chip, inquiries about the compensation they offer. Leo responds with a promise of a secure cell, guarded around the clock. She then delves into the matter at hand, querying the location of his stash. In a sarcastic tone, Damien requests a cigarette as a final indulgence from a condemned soul. Sunny, interpreting his request, directs her to a table where the cigarettes lie. Tess, seizing the opportunity, picks up Damien's distinctive lighter—a battered gold piece adorned with two etched dragons. She insists on an answer first and steps outside, seeking a detailed description of Damien from Sunny.
Sunny paints a picture of him: dark hair, a beard streaked with brown, and a noticeable scar. Tess completes the narrative, revealing that Damien is the one she blames for the house fire that claimed her mother, Joy's, life two decades ago. Sunny expresses skepticism, noting the passage of time. Tess, haunted by memories, recalls young Lucas calling Damien "Dragon," fascinated by his lighter. Joy, on the other hand, referred to him as Dee. She mentions the police theory that the fire was ignited by the same brand of cigarette—Diamond T—that Damien favored. Sunny cautions against confronting him directly, but Tess fears this may be her only chance for justice.
Inside, Damien strikes a deal with Jake, offering information in exchange for money and a getaway plane. Tess, however, makes it clear he's not going anywhere, challenging him with a question about his desire to live.
At Chastanet College, Lucas shares childhood photographs with Matt, unaware of an impending revelation. Matt receives a call from Tess, requesting a private meeting. Tess confides in Matt her suspicions about Damien, placing her trust in him due to his presence during a significant event—Lucas and Craig's wedding. Though hesitant, Tess agrees to attend but insists on knowing Damien's whereabouts on the night Joy perished.
Elsewhere, Sunny confronts Kye about Fiona's desire for her to distance herself from Tess. Realizing Fiona may have a point, Sunny tries to coerce information about Fiona from Kye, who remains tight-lipped. He accuses her of avoiding her own issues and departs.
Back at the airplane hangar, Tess alerts Jake to Damien's silence, prompting Jake to insist on charging him. Tess, on the verge of sharing her thoughts about their future, is interrupted by Leo. She secures permission to question Damien alone, and Leo reluctantly agrees to take turns.
Alone with Damien, Tess offers him a cigarette, which he accepts, calling her "Blue" in reference to her eyes. She inquiries about his scar, and he fabricates a story of a bottle-induced injury during a fight in his thirties. When she asks if he ever lived near Hastings Street, he expresses sympathy for a woman who met an untimely end there. Sunny warns Tess to be cautious, but she ignores the advice, accusing Damien of murdering Joy. He denies the charge emphatically.
Tess recounts her decision to sever ties with him after discovering his criminal activities. She alleges he killed Joy to silence her before she could inform the police. Damien counters with an alibi, claiming he was drunk and spent the night in a jail cell. He hints that she might be working solo before offering to reveal the truth about that fateful night or the location of his stash. Sunny urges caution, but Tess is undeterred.
As Lucas approaches, Tess confronts Damien directly, demanding to know the whereabouts of his drugs. Sunny steps in, urging her to calm down. Tess, however, walks away, leaving the confrontation hanging in the air.
Sunny conveys to Kye the actions Tess has undertaken, remarking that she appears completely detached, as if residing in a distant realm. Reaching out impulsively, she spills a drink onto him. As he rushes to clean up the mess, Tess swipes his phone, revealing a live CCTV feed of the apartment complex. Meanwhile, at the hangar, Tess is engrossed in a conversation with Matt, informing him that Damien claims to possess an alibi for the night of the inferno. Matt inquiries if her emotions might be obscuring her judgment, but Tess insists that her focus is solely on apprehending a murderer and cannot risk implicating Damien to the authorities, fearing it might jeopardize Jake's case. An incoming call from Lucas interrupts their discussion, prompting Matt to emphasize that Lucas's matters should be their utmost priority before terminating the call.
Leo confronts Tess about her acquaintance with Damien, yet she steadfastly denies having known it was him until it was undeniably clear. She reveals that Damien once associated with Joy, a relationship she never approved of. Leo persists in his demand to report the connection, but Tess, fearing the destruction of Jake's case, raises her voice, threatening to involve Metro Police. In response, Damien expresses his willingness to confess all, demanding immunity in return. Leo grants him a conditional promise, vowing not to disclose his threat towards a UC officer if Damien reveals the location of the contraband. Damien claims to have concealed the cocaine within an old Chrysler parked near Main and 47th Street, hinting that the key is hidden within the rear wheel well.
Elsewhere, Lucas presents Matt with a photo of his youthful self, suggesting that Tess still perceives him through a nostalgic lens. Matt dismisses this notion, asserting that he is now considerably more irritating. Acknowledging Mia is beyond his league, Matt playfully proposes that Lucas follow suit by eternally entangling her in his life. As Lucas wonders why Tess isn't answering her phone, Matt informs him that she is trailing one of Joy's acquaintances, possibly Dragon. Urging Matt to assist her if she believes this, Lucas departs for Craig's house.
Concurrently, Jake locates the Chrysler but finds the trunk empty. Armed and lurking, Stoker emerges from behind, inquiring about their next steps. During a phone call, Matt alerts Tess that the Pemberton Station files have been obliterated, hinting that Damien might be deceitful. Tess responds that there's no evidence tying Damien to incarceration. Matt gently encourages her to support Lucas during his wedding preparations.
Back at the monitor, Sunny intently studies the CCTV footage, which captures a man harassing Fiona. In the hangar, Damien expresses his affection for Joy to Tess, who urges him to fade into oblivion from her memory. He reminisces about a time when Tess, enraged, hurled a bunny slipper at him. He inquiries if Lucas inherited Leber's condition from their mother. Tess confronts him with accusations of murder, which he vehemently denies. She blames him for Joy's excessive drinking, while he counters that her anger stemmed from losing her sight and her unruly children. Tess loudly criticizes him for missing her funeral. Suddenly, Jake bursts in, accusing Damien of lying about the drugs. Sunny alerts Tess that Jake is accompanied and armed. Jake mistakenly addresses Tess as Katie. Damien clarifies that they are undercover agents, prompting Jake to laugh, punch Damien, and demand the location of his stash. Sunny urgently warns Tess that Stoker, unconvinced by Damien's story, has drawn his weapon.
Tess brandishes a lighter, her eyes flashing with menace as she confronts Damien, who insists his stash of illicit substances is concealed in a unit on the 23rd floor. Stoker raises his pistol to his temple, the metal cold against his skin, while Jake volunteers with a grim smile to end Damien's life. Stoker, unwavering, passes the weapon to Tess, whose hand trembles slightly as Sunny guides her to her target. With the gun aimed steadily at Damien, his words of protest fall on deaf ears: "It's not what you think." Jake pleads with Stoker to allow him to carry out the deed, but Sunny's voice cuts through the tension, warning Tess of the impending police arrival. Stoker's declaration that someone will perish that night echoes ominously in the confined space.
Tess, hesitating, swings the gun's barrel away from Damien and pulls the trigger, the blast ringing out like a death knell. Jake lunges at Stoker and his accomplice, while Tess and Damien dart towards the exit, her earpiece clattering to the floor in their haste. Stoker's shots follow them, one bullet finding its mark on Damien, who nonetheless guides Tess to a secure refuge. Stoker scans the area for any sign of them, while Jake slips the fallen earpiece into his ear, Sunny's voice crackling through with their location, instructing him to disable the floodlights—aware that Tess's blindness renders her vulnerable.
Damien, clutching his wound, confesses to Tess, his voice weakening, that he lost his way after Joy's death. Just as Stoker's cohort arrives, Tess reluctantly frees him and returns his lighter, a gesture of reluctant mercy. Damien boldly steps into the open, goading Stoker to come after him. Gunfire erupts, and Tess reacts instinctively, taking down Stoker's henchman. The police sirens pierce the night, signaling the endgame. As life ebbs from him, Damien urges Tess not to blame Lucas and remarks poignantly on her resemblance to Joy.
Sunny, phone in hand, instructs Fiona to summon the authorities if her suspicions prove unfounded, offering to clear up any misunderstanding. Fiona declines, but Sunny insists her place is aiding those in need. Tess acknowledges Dragon's sacrifice and her shifting belief that he was not her mother's killer. She confronts Matt with unspoken suspicions, who responds by showing her a photograph of Lucas surrounded by Diamond Ts cigarettes—a telltale sign from the night Joy died. Matt whispers of a tragic accident, while Lucas enters, hopeful for justice. Tess confirms their target's demise, and Lucas reassures her she hasn't missed a beat, proposing a future together marked by their shared loss and love.
Lucas's marriage to Craig unfolds via live stream, watched intently by Kye and Sunny. A call interrupts Tess's contemplation, and Kye, inspired by the ceremony, musters the courage to invite Sunny on a date, hinting at new beginnings facilitated by their shared therapy journey. Just as she considers his offer, a knock at the door reveals Sunny's mother, Varneet, a surprise visitor. Meanwhile, Tess meets Jake, suggesting their evening could be more thrilling than a cozy couch. Tragedy strikes again as a drive-by shooting leaves Jake wounded, Tess's cries for help echoing in the aftermath.
