The episode kicks off with Elliot Stanley (Jamie Dornan), his voice filled with urgency, imploring the wounded Helen Chambers (Danielle MacDonald) to stay conscious. He demands to know the rationale behind their predicament, to which Lena Pascal (Victoria Haralabidou) chillingly responds, revealing their cruel fate: to witness the demise of a beloved. Helen, with a look of desperation, directs Elliot to inspect her left boot. At that critical moment, Donal McDonnell (Diarmaid Murtagh) steps forward, intent on pulling the trigger. Swiftly, Elliot retrieves a knife hidden in Helen's boot, plunging it into Donal's leg and seizing his firearm. With Donal at his mercy, Elliot commands them to unload their weapons and assists Helen into the car, speeding off to the hospital.
Helen awakens in the sterile environment of the hospital, where Elliot suggests they return home once she's discharged. Time passes, and they find themselves boarding a plane bound for Australia, where they establish a new life in their cozy apartment. However, Helen procrastinates her physical therapy sessions, prompting Elliot to refuse fixing the incessantly beeping oven until she complies. Reluctantly, she makes a promise she doesn't keep. Days turn into weeks, the oven's beeping persists, and Helen still hasn't attended her therapy.
One morning, after Elliot leaves for work, Helen embarks on a search for information about Elliot Stanley, a renowned scuba diver. A newspaper clipping unearths a mystery: Elliot was reported missing in 1981 under unexplained circumstances, intertwined with the tragic crash of an American T.M.C. Eagle Air Cargo plane en route to Ireland on February 2nd. Intrigued, she reaches out to Emerald Investigations, seeking Marlowe/Dr. Watson (Luke Roberts).
Marlowe and Helen delve into documents retrieved from Frank McDonnell’s (Francis Magee) laptop, labeled "Elliot Stanley." Helen postulates that the numbers could be a code. Meanwhile, Niamh Cassidy (Olwen Fouere) keeps a watchful eye on Marlowe from afar.
Later, Elliot playfully invites Helen to join him in the shower, only to be brushed off as she claims to be engrossed in her book project. His patience wears thin when he scolds her for isolating herself in the apartment for weeks. Hurt and frustrated, Helen tells him to leave her be and slams the door shut. Secluded in her room, Helen is deeply absorbed in deciphering the coded message from Marlowe when Elliot peaks in, concerned. Meanwhile, Marlowe continues his work on the code when a knock at the door interrupts—it's Niamh.
Elliot viciously pounds the oven with a hammer, his fury uncontained. Helen, sensing the danger, pleads with him to simmer down. His frustration evident, Elliot vents his anger at her refusal to vacate the apartment. She insists she's merely working on her book, to which he retorts sarcastically, querying the existence of such a tome before demanding to know whom she's been whispering secrets to behind his back. Insisting she contact this mystery person immediately, Helen concedes she's been in touch with a private investigator.
Suddenly, the phone within Marlowe’s apartment rings ominously. Inside, Marlowe lies lifeless on the floor, while Niamh puffs calmly on a cigarette, oblivious to the unfolding drama next door. Elliot confronts Helen, wondering if she can ever let go of his shadowy past. He speculates that her real motive was to uncover something redeeming about him in Ireland. Helen fiercely denies this, clarifying her interest lay solely in uncovering the truth behind the plane incident and his adoption of the name Elliot Stanley.
As Elliot storms out, Helen attempts to halt his exit, only to topple out of her wheelchair. She lies helpless on the floor as Billy, brandishing a weapon, enters the apartment. His voice drips with recognition as he asks if she remembers him; a question loaded with unspoken history.
At Drumleigh Hospital, Helen battles for life on a ventilator, while Elliot slumbers in a nearby chair. Nurse Galvin gently awakens him with a note, handed over with the whisper that it's from someone awaiting him in the lobby. The message, stark and urgent, reads, "We must converse about our son. This cannot wait." Puzzled yet intrigued, Elliot heads to the cafeteria where Claire McDonnell sits, eyes filled with anticipation. He disclaims any memory of their past, but Claire insists their love was genuine and that he left to shield her and their son, Fergal. She shares her plight, detailing Donal's abusive behavior when inebriated, yet unable to bring herself to harm him. When Elliot wonders if she thinks he could commit such an act, she warns that Donal's search for him will never cease. Elliot reassures her he's not the man she fears. As Claire exits, she encounters Rick, who warns her that Donal is on her trail.
Later, Elliot confides in Niamh about his encounter with Claire, outlining her plan to alert him when Donal is alone. Skeptical of Claire's intentions, Niamh warns of potential disaster. Elliot ponders reaching out to Donal directly. Returning to Helen's side, he's met by a scene of chaos; medical personnel swarming the room. Galvin informs him that Helen is suffering internal bleeding, with Dr. Watson at her side.
Meanwhile, Billy confronts Helen, revealing his mother's abortive attempt to pen a similar book. Helen, desperate and panicked, drags herself across the floor, Billy commanding her to rise. She protests her inability, prompting him to accuse her of choosing the wheelchair out of convenience. Scrambling onto a table, Helen flees into an adjacent room, accusing Billy of being her own personal bogeyman. He mocks her, questioning whether being rescued by Elliot or Eugene makes him a hero or merely a catalyst for her troubles. Helen insists she cannot escape the shadows of the past, but Billy is relentless in his pursuit, refusing to leave her side.
Elliot arrives at the location specified by Claire, where Donal is hiding. With a gun in hand, he storms into the building, only to find himself immediately targeted by Donal’s ruthless henchmen, led by Jacek Skalmierski. Gunshots echo through the hallways as Elliot manages, with sheer instinct, to barricade himself in a restroom. Tomasz (Raresh DiMofte), emerging from the shadows, reveals that Niamh foresaw his predicament and knew he would require assistance. Moments later, the silence is shattered no more; the henchmen lie defeated. Elliot retrieves his firearm and exits with Tomasz by his side.
At Drumleigh Hospital, Ethan Krum (Greg Larsen) crosses paths with Detective Ruairi Slater (Conor MacNeill) in the bustling lobby. Both acknowledge their shared purpose: to visit Helen. However, Carlos (Ramiro Danza) stands firm, denying her any visitors. Stepping outside, Slater confides in Ethan that he once pulled him from the depths of despair. Gratitude binds them, leading them to seek solace in a nearby drink.
Elsewhere, Elliot's phone buzzes with an urgent call from Claire. Her voice trembles as she confesses Donal coerced her into setting him up. She rails against Donal's impunity following the atrocities he inflicted upon her and Helen. As she inquiries about his intentions, Fergal's sudden appearance cuts the conversation short. Fergal's warning lingers – Donal has noticed the transformation in Claire since Elliot's return to Ireland.
Billy’s haunting memory of Helen watching Elliot with a girl on Koh Pha Ngan’s beach resurfaces. Helen, unable to contain her emotions, confesses her love for Elliot. Billy's probing questions are met with her defiance, until he threatens violence. Unfazed, she stands her ground until he vanishes. Awakening in the hospital, Helen learns from Niamh that Claire has tasked Elliot with eliminating Donal. Helen mentions Frank’s proposition: arrange a meeting between Elliot and Fergal in exchange for returning stolen items. Niamh gently cautions that some secrets are best left buried.
With stealth, Elliot approaches Donal from behind, gun in hand. Donal, chuckling, reminisces about the hotel, The Lough Tamar, where he mistakenly killed Joe, believing him to be Elliot. He mocks the irony of Helen’s absence. Elliot retaliates with a blow to the head, commanding Donal to kneel. Donal, undeterred, warns that the cycle of violence will continue, relentless pursuers at Elliot’s heels. Suddenly, a gunshot pierces the air.
Back at Drumleigh Hospital, Helen breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing Elliot enter her room. She queries the silence of his phone, emphasizing the urgency of leaving the hospital’s confines. Niamh’s revelation that Claire sought Elliot’s hand in Donal’s demise weighs heavily on her. Elliot swears his innocence, but Helen presses further, wondering why he concealed the truth if he had indeed carried out the deed. Doubts cloud her mind as she grilled him. His plea for understanding falls on deaf ears. Just as the tension reaches a crescendo, two police officers arrive, arresting Elliot on suspicion of Donal’s murder. The episode concludes on a cliffhanger, leaving their fates uncertain.
