Clarice Starling and the team are deployed to Tennessee where the FBI is laying siege against a fringe militia group called, The Statesmen.

In order to prove to Krendler and the VICAP team that she is fit for duty, Clarice must find the psychological key that will unlock a confession from the suspect in the three river murders.

Clarice is drugged and confined to a hospital bed by a serial killer in the medical profession, causing her to experience intense hallucinations.

Sidelined because of her harrowing ordeal with Marilyn Felker, Clarice goes to Ruth Martin to be reinstated and gets roped into having dinner at the Martin residence. Clarice sees Catherine Martin for the first time since rescuing her from Buffalo Bill and must endure an uncomfortable evening with this fractured family. Also, Ardelia and the ViCAP team try to identify the man who aided Marilyn, but they hit a wall when they realize their DNA sample matches a file that's been erased from the Bureau's database.