Several weeks earlier, the Singer was rehearsing with his band when a white man Papa-Lo didn’t know entered the studio. The white man discussed the Singer’s upcoming tour dates before discouraging him from thinking that he was welcome in the United States. He threatened the band’s visas, then vanished without a trace.

Security is heightened around the Singer’s estate. Papa-Lo tries to investigate the identity of the white man, but the Singer cannot describe him.

Josey is upset with Nasser’s arrogance, but knows that Nasser will replace him if he doesn’t fall in line. Still, Josey wants to prove that Nasser doesn’t own the ghetto.

Weeper returns from having sex with a sex worker in Josey’s car. Josey expresses his concern about the younger gang members in their crew, but Weeper argues that boys are easier to control. Josey is so tense that he pulls a gun when Weeper makes a blasphemous joke about the boys. To defuse the tension, Weeper laughs about their own youth. This relieves Josey.

After they drop their son off at school, Barry and Claire continue arguing about their stay in Jamaica. Claire stresses the emotional cost of supporting Barry’s career. Barry is unmoved, so Claire accuses him of being terrible at his job. Barry tries to beg out of the discussion, ultimately threatening her with physical abuse to stop talking.

Claire remains silent until she notices that Barry pulled their car up to the Singer’s house. She taunts him by hinting that she will go to the concert reception to seduce the Singer. Barry, suddenly serious, urges her not to go, which leads Claire to suspect that something is being planned. Barry denies it.

On his way back from a nightclub, Alex bumps into Mark Lansing, who offers to help him meet with the Singer.

It bothers Papa-Lo to think that Nasser is excluding him from private conversations with Josey. Papa-Lo has always been loyal to the JLP because they developed Copenhagen City. After the PNP won the 1972 election, the Eight Lanes stepped up their aggression. Papa-Lo led the retaliation, razing two Eight Lanes neighborhoods, assassinating the former Eight Lanes dons, and thus ushering Shotta Sherrif into power.

Nina is awoken by a call from Kimmy, who tries to teach her about Garveyism, an offshoot of Black nationalism stemming from the ideas of Marcus Garvey. Nina entertains the lecture until she gets annoyed by Kimmy’s concern for Nina’s lack of direction in life. Finally, Kimmy reveals that someone spotted Nina waiting outside the Singer’s house like a “groupie.” Nina strikes back by insulting Kimmy until she hangs up the phone. This firms Nina’s resolve to seek the Singer’s help.

Josey first met Doctor Love, a Cuban counterrevolutionary, through Louis Johnson. During their first meeting, Doctor Love earned Josey’s trust by revealing that Johnson wanted to use Josey as a destabilization tool. He then offered Josey a link to the Medellín cartel. This encouraged Josey to foster bigger ambitions than the gang war in Kingston.

Josey goes to meet with Doctor Love, who urges Josey to do something that will get the attention of the Medellín cartel. Josey assures him that their forthcoming operation will be impressive enough.

Claire earnestly asks Barry to explain his job. He recites his mission directive to conduct psychological warfare when foreign governments adopt pro-communist policies that threaten the United States. Claire doesn’t believe that this is true, based on the PNP’s relations with communist-allied countries in the region. She suspects that something bigger is going on that Barry knows nothing about.

The American embassy plans to revoke the Singer’s performance visa on exaggerated charges of drug trafficking. This will strengthen the United States’ relationship with Jamaica while also undermining the PNP. Barry is outraged to learn that Doctor Love has arrived in Kingston. Because Doctor Love is associated with several civilian bombings and assassinations, his presence threatens the success of their operation. Barry looks for Johnson to get answers.

Papa-Lo becomes certain that Josey is planning something devious when he connects the upcoming elections to Josey’s meetings with Nasser, Johnson, and Doctor Love. He goes to Josey’s house to confront him.

Mark Lansing, the US filmmaker, tells Alex that he was with the Singer and another journalist from Rolling Stone the previous night. Soon after, Alex gets a call from his editor demanding his piece on Mick Jagger. Alex tries to pitch his piece on the Singer instead, but the editor refuses and promises to fire him on his return home. The editor denies that he had sent anyone else to Kingston.

Mark doesn’t know who the other Rolling Stone journalist is, but claims that the journalist was interested in learning about gang tensions in Kingston. Mark offers to bring Alex along with his crew but asks Alex for a favor in return. He wants Alex to deliver a piece of luggage to his contact in New York. Mark claims that it is footage for the documentary, but Alex suspects it may be CIA material. When Alex expresses his intention to stay in Kingston, Mark urges him to leave.

Nina’s mother summons her home, where Nina is surprised by an intervention organized by Kimmy. Nina’s mother shames Nina for being promiscuous with the Singer. Nina calls out the double standard of judging her and the Singer when Kimmy also has a Rastafarian boyfriend named Ras Trent. Nina’s mother dismisses Ras Trent’s beliefs as a phase. She goes on to criticize Nina for treating Kimmy unfairly.

Nina’s mother eventually calls upon her husband’s intervention. Nina’s father physically abuses Nina with a belt. Nina kicks him in self-defense, grabbing the belt and striking him in return.

Barry finds CIA agent Johnson at a gentlemen’s club with Doctor Love. Barry trails Johnson and Doctor Love through the ghetto, arriving at a garbage dump. Also with them is a man readers recognize as Josey, though Barry doesn’t know who he is. Moments after Josey leaves them, Johnson and Doctor Love ram their car into Barry’s.

Barry confronts Johnson on his activities with Doctor Love. Johnson insults Barry, calling him a bookkeeper who believes in desk work. In contrast, Johnson does whatever he is asked to do, whether he believes it or not. He insinuates that a third political party is emerging as an unwelcome unifying alternative to the left-right tensions in Jamaica’s current parliamentary system. When Johnson hints that an imminent operation will undermine this party, Barry becomes panicked and orders him to abort the mission. Johnson tells him it is already too late.

Papa-Lo hurries to Josey’s house, blaming himself for failing to act sooner. He has been preoccupied with trying to foster an alternative system that would guarantee peace across Kingston. He is tired of seeing life as a never-ending struggle between factions.

Before Papa-Lo reaches Josey’s house, he is shot at and surrounded by policemen and soldiers. Josey’s house is empty. The authorities incarcerate Papa-Lo.

Mark drives Alex to the Singer’s house. They are denied entry at the gate. Mark appeals to the security and is the only one allowed entry. He promises to come back for Alex.

While waiting, Alex starts to understand that the real story is about the people around the Singer, not the Singer himself. When a truck leaves the estate, Alex jumps out of the way, inadvertently rolling through the open gate. Alex considers staying but feels that Mark has played a prank on him. He leaves as a blue car enters the estate.

Nina returns to the Singer’s house in the wake of the intervention. She sees the Singer as her only means to acquiring a visa, which will allow her and her parents to escape Jamaica’s political turmoil.

Throughout her journey to the Singer’s house, she perceives herself being judged for her disheveled appearance. At the gate, she takes her chances and sneaks in after two white cars that enter the estate.

Demus does not sleep the whole day. The other hitmen experience cocaine withdrawal symptoms and become desperate to escape the locked shack. It is impossible to get out without Josey and Weeper, who finally return in the evening and slap Bam-Bam around to quell his panic.

Josey distributes the guns. Weeper gives them more cocaine before setting out for the ambush. Josey is the only one who doesn’t take any cocaine. As they leave, Josey reminds them that the Singer is working with the PNP and that by killing him, they will change the way things are. They trail a blue car into the Singer’s estate.

Bam-Bam narrates the ambush in verse. Josey reaches the Singer first, frustrating Bam-Bam. Josey shoots, though Bam-Bam registers that Josey didn’t aim for the Singer’s head, like they had been taught to do.

To make up for missing the Singer, Bam-Bam shoots the Singer’s wife in the head as soon as he sees her. The others fire at will around the house. The police arrive. On their way out, Bam-Bam is about to kill a woman who has just arrived, but Josey jumps forward to threaten her instead. The hit squad flees the house. Weeper, Josey, Demus, Heckle, and Bam-Bam drive away in the same car.

After Heckle throws his gun away during the escape, Weeper rebukes Heckle and sends him away. Weeper drives the remaining hitmen to the gully, where he runs off. Josey and Bam-Bam follow suit, leaving Demus behind. Demus realizes that he is in PNP territory, increasing his panic. He decides to return to Copenhagen City, worrying about retribution from Papa-Lo.

Demus enters a yard and finds himself in the company of someone he believes is another hitman. The other person urges him to leave, threatening Demus. Demus believes then he is talking to his partner. This causes the woman to call him out as a rapist to scare him away. Demus sees Josey, who shoots at him. Demus runs off and reaches downtown by morning. Newspapers reveal that the Singer and his wife have survived.

Bam-Bam overhears Weeper and Josey reuniting before they are picked up by another car.

Bam-Bam finds his way to the park, where the peace concert is being held. Bam-Bam becomes paranoid that the Singer will take revenge on him. He tries to escape the crowd, fearing that they will point him out to the Singer. Bam-Bam finds it difficult to leave the park, especially once the Singer comes onstage, when Bam-Bam believes that the Singer has locked eyes with him. The Singer reveals his wounds. Bam-Bam finally makes it out of the park when a Copenhagen City sniper named Tony Pavarotti knocks him out.

Demus spends the day running through the bush. While hiding in a gully, he is frustrated to think about how he has been used by everyone to get what they want, especially Josey. He wants to leave Kingston and reinvent himself. He runs past the wrecks of several vehicles, where he is apprehended by a group of Rastafarian men dressed in white.

Bam-Bam is gagged, bound, and buried alive by Josey, Weeper, and Tony.

The ghost of Jennings declares that he will be present for everyone’s deaths. Demus, who is hanged by the Rastafarians, dies angry at Josey. He screams at the sight of Jennings. Demus begs the Singer for mercy, but Jennings points out that the living never listen to the dead.