Torello investigates a Weisbord smuggling operation and a federal employee suspected of several brutal murders, but the attorney general's office refuses to help, claiming a need to maintain "plausible deniability."

A Federal order concerning a Government "asset" creates chaos for the Strike Force; Kordo and Goldman fear for their futures; Abrams decides to close the book on his career.

Torello's birthday celebration is halted when Danny is shot in a restaurant men's room, leaving only a one-word clue concerning the identity of the gunman.