At NIC headquarters, Hemingway works out in the gymnasium, practicing the lethal internal martial arts he learned during years as a CIA field agent in China. His decades of training have given him extraordinary physical abilities. He carries a tattoo translating to ultimate loyalty to serve country.

At his Capitol Hill apartment, Hemingway prepares tea and calls out to a hidden guest: Captain Jack, mercenary and fellow operative. Hemingway reveals that Gray will attend the dedication ceremony in Brennan with the President, simplifying their exit strategy. He gives Captain Jack a DVD containing helpful information about Secret Service training and protocols.

The two debate philosophy. Captain Jack reveals that his sole motivation is money and plans to retire to a private island, arguing that humans are rotten and war is inevitable. Hemingway counters that he is creating something better than what exists, citing historical injustices. Captain Jack dismisses this as idealism.

Alex receives a frantic phone call from Anne Jeffries, who screams that Johnson was not a drug dealer. She threatens to sue everyone involved. Alex goes to Lafayette Park and finds a clean-shaven Stone. The narrative recounts Alex’s history with Stone: Years ago, he met Stone while on White House perimeter duty. Curious about the man, he ran Stone’s fingerprints through government databases, but they returned no matches. Oliver Stone does not exist, as far as the government is concerned.

Stone encourages Alex to investigate Johnson’s case further, suggesting that the drugs were planted as a cover-up. He doesn’t reveal his own involvement. He argues that the end of one’s career is what is most remembered. His words resonate, and Alex decides to investigate more thoroughly.

Stone returns to his cottage and looks through an old photo album, lingering on pictures of his young daughter, Beth, who had a crescent-shaped scar on her palm. He recalls the night that the attackers came to his home: His wife was shot and killed, and his daughter abducted. He killed two attackers before escaping. It was the last time he saw his wife or daughter. He later decided that his past sins as a government operative made him unworthy of seeking revenge, so he disappeared and became Oliver Stone. He falls asleep in his chair, tears on the photo album.

In Brennan, Djamila performs her morning prayers. The narrative reveals she is an Iraqi Sunni who used falsified Saudi papers to enter the US. She was radicalized after an errant air strike killed her entire family. She was trained in terror camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan before being sent to America. She was given a specially equipped van featuring a concealed compartment.

Captain Jack purchases an automobile repair facility in Brennan for his operation. He meets Djamila at a park, where they exchange a coded phrase. When Djamila calls Americans “evil pigs,” Captain Jack warns her that anger could jeopardize the mission. He informs her that the plan has changed: If the Franklins’ routine changes, she must call and use the code phrase “A storm is coming.” If the contingency is enacted, she will perform her original mission as a fida’ya, or martyr. Djamila is pleased to be called a fida’ya.

Alex tells Jackie that they are going to continue to investigate, and they go to NIC to get the results of the suicide note analysis. At NIC, they undergo intense security screening and surrender their weapons. Tyler Reinke confirms that the handwriting matches Johnson’s but is evasive about returning the note. When Alex asks to see Johnson’s office, Peters and Reinke refuse, citing inadequate clearances. Alex threatens a search warrant.

Gray enters the room, greets Jackie warmly with a hug and kiss, and personally escorts them to Johnson’s office. Jackie reveals to a stunned Alex that Gray is her godfather.

Stone plays chess with Thomas Jefferson Wyatt, a White House chef’s assistant. T. J. shares gossip: Gray refused the President’s request to attend a 9/11 ceremony in New York but agreed to go with him to the Brennan dedication. After T. J. leaves, Adelphia joins Stone. An aggressive man confronts Adelphia, punches Stone, and pulls a switchblade.

Stone uses a pressure point technique to collapse the man and holds the knife to his neck with professional precision. Adelphia calls his name, and Stone stops. As the police approach, he quickly disappears. Adelphia recognizes the technique as identical to how a KGB agent held a knife before abducting her uncle in Poland.

Gray shows Alex and Jackie into the area where Johnson worked. Hemingway joins them and explains Johnson’s role in overseeing terrorist-related files, describing how NIC consolidated all intelligence agencies’ databases under its control.

To demonstrate the system’s power, Hemingway pulls up Alex’s complete file, including an expunged underage drinking conviction and recent credit card purchases. Alex is angered. Hemingway then displays Adnan al-Rimi’s file, noting that he is confirmed deceased and marked with a skull-and-crossbones symbol. Alex asks why Johnson’s unexplained wealth was not flagged; Hemingway admits that it was a failure. Alex and Jackie interview three of Johnson’s colleagues but learn nothing useful. Alex expresses disgust with NIC’s intrusive capabilities.

Hemingway meets Reinke and Peters at a mall. He reveals a fingerprint match from the suicide note: Milton Farb, who worked at NHI before he threatened President Reagan. He orders them to surveil Farb but not act without approval.

In his office, Gray reviews files of deceased terrorists, including al-Rimi, and his instincts tell him something is wrong. A narrative aside reveals that the database photos have been digitally altered, and fingerprints completely substituted. Gray reflects on Murder Mountain, a former CIA training site, acknowledges the filthy nature of intelligence work, and returns determined to re-examine the dead men’s files.

Alex is summoned to meet Secret Service Director Wayne Martin. The President called from Air Force One to complain about Alex’s trip to NIC. Martin reveals that Jackie told him an “old friend” encouraged Alex to pursue the case. Alex takes full responsibility and refuses to name the friend.

Instead of firing Alex, Martin takes Alex off the investigation and reassigns him to the presidential protection detail, forbidding any further involvement in the Johnson case.

Djamila bathes the Franklin baby while Lori plays with the other boys. Watching through the window, Djamila finds herself laughing before catching herself. Later, Lori discovers kosher food in the refrigerator; Djamila explains that kosher laws resemble Muslim halal laws, making kosher food acceptable when halal is unavailable. Lori expresses confusion about why Jews and Muslims cannot get along.

Driving the children to a park, Djamila recalls Ahmed, an Iranian poet she trained with, who spoke of a more liberal Iran. He told her that her name, meaning beautiful in Arabic, was fitting and that when one has lost everything except life, it makes the sacrifice of that life more potent. These words give her strength. She imagines being reunited with Ahmed in paradise.

Stone encounters Alex, who reveals he has been reassigned and that his partner Jackie’s godfather is Carter Gray. Stone stiffens and asks if her father is Senator Roger Simpson, a former CIA operative. Alex confirms it and mentions that he gave the suicide note to NIC.

Stone realizes that Milton’s fingerprints are now in the killers’ hands. He immediately calls Milton, telling him to meet at Union Station instead of going home. Reuben calls and tells him that Gray forced all other agencies to turn over their terrorist files to NIC. Stone tells Reuben to take him to his storage facility, saying he needs something that might solve the case.

Reinke and Peters surveil Milton’s empty house. In Brennan, Captain Jack checks on his team’s progress. Ahmed secretly hides a knife in a vehicle. At an apartment across from Mercy Hospital, an Afghan operative shows Captain Jack two advanced M-50 sniper rifles hidden under floorboards, with ammunition concealed inside a television. Captain Jack drives past the ceremonial grounds, visualizing the attack.

Elsewhere, the ex-National Guardsman practices with his prosthetic hands, recounting how a land mine in Iraq took both hands after his tour was involuntarily extended. After losing his family and job, he seeks revenge on his country. Adnan al-Rimi meticulously times routes and studies the hospital’s power room’s electrical controls. His entire family is dead, and he views this mission as his final act.