Agenti vyšetřují útěk vězně z vojenského vězení. Zjistí při tom, že voják byl zavřený za vraždu své manželky, kterou nespáchal. Při hledání skutečného vraha zjistí, že za vším je vojákův nadřízený, který na vojákovu manželku žárlil z toho důvodu, že měla milostný poměr s jeho ženou. Jako vrah se však v závěru ukáže být právě jeho žena.

James D. Curtin, ex Navy SEAL, breaks into a couple's house to change his clothes after he escapes prison. The couple is left unharmed. Curtin was in Leavenworth for killing his wife and their cable repair man.

NCIS is called into find Curtin and apprehend him. In the squad room of NCIS headquarters Kate tells Tony she sleeps with a gun under her pillow in case of intruders. Gibbs thinks this is a good idea. Gibbs decides to find out what direction the fugitive is headed in.

Kate and Gibbs interview the parents of Curtin's dead wife, and his son Kevin. Kate is left at the house to protect them in case Curtin shows up as they suspect he might show up to see his son.

Tony interviews Lt. Commander Faith Coleman the JAG lawyer who helped convict Curtin. Tony learns that Curtin called the police and was found with blood on his hands and on the murder weapon.

Gibbs interviews Commander William Foley, Curtin's boss, and part of the group of SEALs that showed up at Curtin's trial to support him. Abby explains that Curtin made a finger print of the guard's using tooth paste, and he used this finger print to escape the prison.

Curtin shows up where his son is and ties up Kate and is now in possession of Kate's service weapon.. Agent McGee is outside watching the house, but doesn't see anything. McGee eventually unties Kate but by the time he does this Curtin is on the run. Kate lies and says that the police had found Curtin's car in order for Curtin to find a new escape plan. He hijacks someone and is shot at and injured by Kate.

We learn about Gibbs obsession with Ari through his conversation with Kevin. Meanwhile Tony and McGee look for evidence and Tony does the Tommy Lee speech from the movie The Fugitive.

Gibbs realizes Curtin is after the person who really killed his wife and the cable guy. He had come across information in prison that led him to the guilty party. The two JAG lawyers who tried the case were called in to go through the evidence that Curtin had access to in prison. They find a call log that wasn't available at trial and they find a connection between Curtin's dead wife and the Foley's. Kate and Tony interview Commander Foley's wife and Gibbs interviews Foley himself.

McGee interrupts Gibbs interrogation of Foley to tell him the killer had given her herpes and Foley's medical charts show that he did not have an affair with Curtin's wife after all. In the squad room Tony reviews the call log and discovers that the call from Foley's number to the dead women was made when he was away. Tony figures out the killer and jealous lover of Curtin's wife is Mrs. Foley and not Commander Foley.

NCIS arrests Mrs. Foley and Kate acts as a decoy to draw in Curtin, so they can bring him in. Kate gets her service weapon back from Curtin. Curtin will eventually be exonerated for the murders Mrs. Foley committed; whether or not he has to face charges for his escape, is left open ended.

N.B. The ending seems variously interpreted on the Internet. Ducky has discovered that the victims were not stabbed to death, but had their necks broken, and were stabbed as a way of distracting from the real cause of death. It points to a trained killer, e.g. a SEAL (therefore at that stage not ruling out Curtin, but also hinting at Commander Foley).
a1) So some commentators say: Commander Foley is the murderer, NCIS takes Mrs Foley away for her own safety, Curtin could well have broken in intending to tie Mrs Foley up and wait in ambush for Commander Foley.
a2) This might have support in the script from the dialogue at the end about how would one feel (as a man) if one's wife were cheating on one with another woman i.e. implying that Commander Foley could not stand it and therefore killed the lover. Arguably this is also more emotionally plausible than Mrs Foley killing her own lover just because the husband has returned from his posting.
b) another commentator says it's a goof to have Mrs Foley as the murderer, but attribute to her a means of murder requiring great strength
c) another commentator says the exact facts are deliberately left ambiguous. Obviously it is an important plot device that after their various skirmished, eventually Kate turns the tables on Curtin.