Junkie Jordy Thompkins was shot dead in an alleyway, but the bullet that killed him is missing. Taylor and Hawkes soon realise that a rat may have eaten the bullet, and finding the rat leads them to a robbery that occurred earlier that day. After Robin Prescott is found raped and beaten in Central Park with only a peony leaf on her clothing, Stella and Flack have the daunting task of trying to find the man who raped her, but Prescott has no memory of the crime.

On the very night that he wins a D.J. competition, DJ Banner is found dead in an alleyway outside the club where the contest is being run, prompting Mac and Flack to investigate not only the club but also Banner's primary competition, who was jealous that his girlfriend's voice was part of Banner's act. Stella and Danny investigate the death of fashion designer Deborah Gayle, found face-down in the pool at her apartment by her assistant, who isn't concerned by her boss's demise. An autopsy reveals that the cause of death was poisoning by tetrodotoxin, a poison found in blowfish, which leads Stella and Danny to Fuqua Sushi.

Danny and Mac investigate after a briefcase belonging to Luke Sutton is found left in the NYMEX with a bloody note inside. Their investigation into Sutton's activities lead them to Nick Lawson, whom Sutton had been investigating for illegal trades, but who swears he had nothing to do with his disappearance. Stella and Flack investigate the death of Trina Rolston, a young pregnant women who fell to her death from the roof of a church. With Hawkes help, Stella realises that the body was thrown off the roof to mask the true cause of death. The detectives soon realise that their two cases are connected.

After mounted officer Valasquez is shot down in the park, Mac goes looking for the bullet that killed the officer only to learn that it is lodged in the horse's spine and cannot be removed without being fatal to the horse. The investigation leads them to a local street vendor, but stalls when the D.A. asks Mac not to do anything to risk the horse until after the woman who donated it has a chance to say goodbye. Aiden investigates the body of a young man, Lenny Starks, who was found face-down, dead in the street. Aiden traces the young man to a local pizza parlor where she faces intimidation from the bookies who use it as a gambling front.

Mac and Stella investigate the death of Paul Montenassi, a young man left to bleed to death in the snow. The investigation leads them to another victim, Mihok Lev, who had been killed by Montenassi in a robbery earlier that evening. When Hawkes concludes his autopsy on Montenassi, he is able to reveal a sanded-off tattoo that leads the detectives to the Tanglewood Boys. Danny and Aiden investigate the hit-and-run that caused the death of Marta Santo. After discovering sperm on the woman's clothing, Danny and Aiden learn that Santo liked things rough, and their investigation leads them to an erotic massage parlor.

Mac and Stella investigate when they find the body of Paddy Dolan, a longshoreman. Part of the body is found on a transport truck and another part back at the warehouses, but Mac encounters difficulty with the investigation when the workers put up a wall of silence against them. Aiden and Danny investigate the death of Debbie Bogda, who was found naked on the expressway, and their investigation leads them into a world of sexual games and bondage once they realise she was actually harnessed to the front of a truck.