Aaron confronts O'Reilly in court, targeting the search warrant used in Aaron's arrest and the DA's failure to disclose a confidential informant. Marie's father comes to town, intent on encouraging her and Darius to solidify their relationship. Maskins arranges for a dangerous inmate, Cassius Dawkins, to be transferred to Bellmore in hopes that he'll cause problems for Safiya and Aaron.

Aaron struggles to balance the demands of his own case with the needs of an inmate who's fighting for the right to marry his dying girlfriend. Safiya defies the prison board, effectively jeopardizing Anya's campaign as well as their marriage.

In order to maintain his lifeline to the outside world, Aaron is forced to defend Cassius Dawkins when he puts three white supremacists in the hospital; Marie struggles with her feelings for Aaron after he signs her divorce papers.

Aaron finally gets his chance to argue for his retrial in court, but it's thwarted by the return of prison warden Cyrus Hunt; Safiya deals with the aftermath of the prison riot and attempts to salvage her reforms.