In a distant prologue 134.455 years ago, six witches in animal skins and tribal attire sing seeds. When the sky fills up with lightning, they hug, saying "It is done," and go their separate ways.
In the present, our group (the main trio, plus Scylla, Nicte, Adil and Khalida) are hiding out with a group of Dodgers led by Mac, a friend of Scylla's. Their safehouse masquerades as a shipping and receiving center.
VP Silver appears on TV, decrying his daughter's murder at the hands of Abigail, Raelle, and Tally, who are fugitives from justice. He also mentions a project to "identify those with unknown witch ancestry…so we can protect them."
Back at the warehouse Mac tells the group they are safe hiding with Dodgers, but they need to follow the rules so that all can remain safe.
During a meal, the unit talks about changing their looks. Abigail is against using Work for the Spree for that purpose. She is also homesick because she cannot communicate with her mother; all phone calls could be traced.
At Fort Salem Anacostia talks with Sterling Woodlot (the security officer who works for Silver). Sterling suspects his boss is up to something. Petra Bellweather, who is now in charge of the Army, is walking the grounds with Izadora. There is some low pressure weather system in the air.
At the Dodger facility, Scylla is busy with Tiffany (the child rescued from being stoned to death by the Camarilla in "Brianna's Favorite Pencil") clearing up a few misconceptions about the Spree and the Work they use to change their faces, when an alarm goes off. Fortunately, it is for a harmless reason: people seeking shelter.
Anacostia and Sterling spy on Silver meeting with a woman named Kara and Alban Hearst. has a special mission for M, who has been feeling lost after half of their coven's members were killed or went on the run.
Adil and Abigail go out and locate a phone booth for Abigail to call her mother. Adil notices a security officer for Not Our Daughters with a device that disrupts face-disguising work. The officer notices him so he and Abigail have to use his invisibility magic to hide until they get back.
At the warehouse's rooftop, Tally spars with Nicte, who pushes her to use her Sight to predict Nicte's moves. Tally almost falls of the roof and a bystander witnesses it. Unfortunately he reports suspicious activity to the police and they pay a visit to the warehouse, allowing a Camarilla agent to detect the signs of Work being used to hide evidence of people living in the warehouse. Mac declares the warehouse "burned", has everybody pack and get out, and tells our group that they are on their own.
At Fort Salem, Izadora is conducting inoculations against the Witchplague when a thick black rain falls from the sky. The hymn "How Great Thou Art" is heard, as sung by Penelope Silver.
M crawls into air vents and spies on a Camarilla meeting. Kara Brandt, the woman Silver had been meeting with, is introduced as a benefactor. Alban Hearst presents his plan to inject fungicide into the Mycelium.
Tally feels guilty for ruining the hideout for everybody, blaming herself for training on the roof and arousing suspicion. At a gas station Abigail gets over her prejudices about Spree work and manages to contact her mother over a mirror. Petra passes along the bit about the Camarilla trying to prevent the "union of earth and sky".
And somewhere in Basque Country, a shepherd out in the country is singing. He is struck mute when a woman springs from the ground and tells him in his language to please not stop on her account. It's Alder, looking young and radiant.
Tropes used
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Raelle's hair is longer and no longer plaited on one side. Abigail has also changed her hairstyle (no bangs). And M has grown out their Bald Head of Toughness into a high and tight buzz cut. The changes show the passage of time, but in M's case, it accompanies a sense of loss as half the coven is dead and most of the remaining half are on the lam.
- Enemy Eats Your Lunch: A downplayed version, as Vira, Scylla's ex, is not the enemy, but she does antagonize the group when she comes up to their table during a meal. As a Dodger, she is in the "Change Your Face" team, and Abigail is not. Then, before she walks away... in Abigail's own words: "That bitch just ate my tomato!"
- Hypocrite:
- Vice President Silver appears on TV, denouncing Abigail, Raelle, and Tally for murdering his daughter Penelope and playing the bereaved father. But he was the one who arranged to have her infected with Witchplague (which would have killed her anyway) as part of his alliance to the Camarilla.
- Abigail refuses to learn the Work Scylla uses to change her face because as an army soldier, she finds using a technique from the Spree to be wrong. But she has benefitted from Nicte and Scylla using it to keep a low profile.
- Idiot Ball: Mac does not have a problem offering shelter to the trio (and company) but he often stresses how important it is to keep their cover. One of the rules is no phone calls. After the trio's faces appear on TV to remind the public that they are fugitives, Abigail goes out with Adil to call her mother, despite not changing her face (which she refuses to learn how to do) or taking minimal precautions to conceal her identity. She doesn't get caught by pure luck.
- It's All My Fault: Tally unintentionally blows the group's cover when a bystander sees her almost fall off the roof and files a report with the police. As a result, Mac declares the warehouse as "burned" and the Dodgers have to find another safe place. Tally is very harsh on herself, but Abigail points out that she and Raelle violated the rules; they simply were lucky enough not to get caught.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Mac, Scylla's friend, offers shelter to the unit despite the objections of some in his group of Dodgers and his own concerns. By the end of the episode, their cover is blown and Mac and his group are forced to move to another safe house that will probably not be very nice.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: Alder switches her uniform and tightly pulled back braid for flowing robes and hair.
- So Last Season: Izadora is developing a vaccine for the Witchplague, which was a major threat last season but won't be a problem this season.
- This Is Not a Drill: Twice the subsonic alarm rings at the shipping center/safehouse. The first time, it's just a group of Dodgers. Then the second time it's the police, stopping by to inspect the facility. This allows a Camarilla agent to find out that the shipping center is indeed a hideout.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: While training with Nicte on the roof, Tally almost ends up going over the edge and a passerby sees her. He reports seeing something suspicious to law enforcement. As the Camarilla has agents within the police department, this allows them to inspect the warehouse where they detect that there are witches hiding there. As a result, the warehouse is "burned" and both the Dodgers and the unit have to find a new place.
