Gamache enters the conference room. The veteran agents recognize the mentor who taught them core principles of wisdom and are moved to see him return. Gamache takes the seat to the right of the head of the table, not the head chair itself. He directly addresses the negative social media posts, inviting the agents to share them openly so they can move past the issue.

The agents reluctantly read insulting tweets calling Gamache a coward and a “madman.” When asked if he truly wanted to return to Homicide, Gamache surprises them by admitting he initially declined the offer because he refused to displace Beauvoir. He only accepted after learning that Beauvoir was leaving for Paris.

Meanwhile, Jean-Guy Beauvoir has been in his office preparing himself for the meeting. His wife Annie, Gamache’s daughter, emails him the negative posts about Gamache to ensure he is prepared. When he enters the conference room, everyone stands, and he shakes Gamache’s hand, welcoming him back. Gamache respectfully calls him “Patron.”

The meeting proceeds with investigators initially addressing Gamache, who consistently redirects them to Beauvoir. Beauvoir leads calmly and effectively, and Lacoste observes that the raid nine months ago transformed Beauvoir into a true leader. The investigators gradually adapt and focus their attention on Beauvoir.

Near the meeting’s end, Beauvoir notices Agent Lysette Cloutier using her phone. She reports that her friend Homer Godin’s daughter, Vivienne Godin, has been missing since Saturday night. The 25-year-old woman, who is pregnant, was traveling to visit her father in the Laurentians but never arrived. Her husband, Carl Tracey, has been uncooperative and dismissive.

Beauvoir initially views this as a local police matter, but Cloutier’s persistence makes him reconsider. He decides to assign someone to investigate and realizes the only unassigned officer is Gamache. He asks Gamache to work with Cloutier for the day, and Gamache agrees.

After the meeting, Beauvoir apologizes to Gamache for pairing him with Cloutier, whom he considers incompetent. Gamache and Cloutier drive over the Champlain Bridge, and despite his fear of heights, Gamache forces himself to look down at the St. Lawrence River, which is dangerously jammed with broken ice from the spring thaw. Wet snow falls, and he worries about catastrophic flooding.

Cloutier briefs him as they drive: Vivienne Godin and Carl Tracey live on a farm near Cowansville. Local police searched the property after Homer called but found nothing. There have been three prior domestic violence calls to the home, but Vivienne always withdrew her complaints. Gamache instructs Cloutier to drive to the local Sûreté detachment to gather information before confronting Tracey.

At the local detachment, Gamache and Cloutier meet Commander Brigitte Flaubert. She calls in Agent Bob Cameron, and Gamache recognizes him as a former Montréal Alouettes left tackle who helped win the Grey Cup. Cameron’s gentle demeanor contrasts with Gamache’s memory of his aggressive on-field play.

Cameron confirms that Vivienne is not officially missing. Tracey claims she left with a lover, and a preliminary search found no evidence of violence. He handled previous domestic violence calls but says Vivienne always refused help. He speculates she may be hiding in a motel. When challenged about his lack of concern, Cameron reveals he had planned to file a missing persons report at noon. Gamache orders an immediate alert sent to shelters provincewide.

Cameron confesses that he recently confronted Tracey in town and threatened to beat him. Gamache sternly reprimands him for threatening violence and acting outside the law, warning that such threats could have provoked Tracey to become even more violent toward Vivienne. Cameron attempts to defend himself by alluding to Gamache’s own controversial actions, but Gamache counters that he faced consequences, unlike Cameron.

Commander Flaubert reveals that Cameron’s facial scars came from his abusive father, not football. Cameron offers to accompany Gamache and Cloutier to the farm, and Gamache accepts. In the car, Gamache realizes that Cameron somehow knew Vivienne was pregnant, though Cloutier confirms she had not told him.

In Three Pines, Clara and her friends Gabri Dubeau and Ruth Zardo stand on the bridge, observing the dangerously high Rivière Bella Bella. An ice dam is forming downstream. Ruth, the volunteer fire chief, declares they need more sand and predicts that another 100-year flood is coming.

On the muddy road to the Tracey farm, Gamache and Cloutier’s car gets stuck. Cameron’s patrol car slides backward toward them. Under Gamache’s calm direction, Cloutier expertly reverses, stopping both vehicles safely. They decide to walk the remaining half kilometer. They are upriver from Three Pines and hear the roar of the Rivière Bella Bella in full spring runoff. Gamache realizes the flooding river is heading straight for Three Pines and tries unsuccessfully to call his wife due to no cell signal.

At Sûreté headquarters, Beauvoir’s wife, Annie, calls him to say that Reine-Marie is worried about flooding in Three Pines. She asks him to go help with sandbagging. After hanging up, Beauvoir looks out at the St. Lawrence and sees dangerous ice buildup threatening the city’s bridges. He calls Chief Superintendent Toussaint, the new head of the Sûreté, whom he recommended for the position but who is now wary of the authority that Gamache naturally wields in the organization.

At the Tracey farm, Gamache, Cloutier, and Cameron are met by. Tracey recognizes Cameron and angrily orders him off the property, threatening them with the pitchfork. When Gamache asks to see Vivienne, Tracey says she is gone.

Gamache requests water and the use of the phone, throwing Tracey off-balance with his courteous approach. While the officers drink from a hose, Gamache explains his strategy to his companions: Courtesy confuses a man who understands only violence, and they have no warrant to force entry.

Tracey brings out a landline phone. Gamache calls headquarters and loudly requests an immediate search warrant for the property, mentioning the need for patrol cars. Tracey is visibly shocked by this turn of events.

At headquarters, Beauvoir receives the call and immediately submits the warrant request to a judge. As he sends it, rain begins falling in Montréal.

Gamache politely thanks Tracey and suggests they wait inside for the warrant confirmation. Realizing he has no choice, Tracey leads them into the house. An old dog lies by the stove, and Tracey mentions that he is planning to take the dog into the woods and shoot it. Gamache wonders if Vivienne met the same fate. He listens carefully for any sound of a hidden person but hears only silence.

At the kitchen table, Cloutier records as Gamache questions Tracey, who repeats that Vivienne left him, possibly for a lover. He claims the baby is not his and shows no concern for her welfare. Vivienne’s father, Homer, calls and threatens Tracey. Gamache calms Homer and asks him to stay by the phone in case Vivienne calls. Cloutier speaks to her old friend, successfully calming him.

Tracey offers no names of Vivienne’s alleged lovers or friends, and his story contains inconsistencies. When Agent Cameron angrily slams the table, Gamache firmly rebukes him. The phone rings again. Gamache answers, listens, and announces they have the warrant.