Při odchodu z mešity se mladému muslimovi udělá nevolno a omdlí. Neznámý muž mu sebere hodinky, prsten a peněženku a zastřelí ho. NCIS zjistí, že mrtvý byl synem jednoho z vůdců muslimské menšiny - námořník Abdul Bakr. Ve válce v Iráku byl vyznamenán Bronzovou hvězdou a Purpurovým srdcem. Na kamerách z okolí místa činu je vidět pouze vrahova postava v kšiltovce a kapuci. Gibbs si všimne, že na jednom záběru měl Abdul mobil a na dalším nikoliv. Pošle McGeeho, DiNozza a Zivu, aby ho našli. Nakonec se jim ho podaří najít. McGee zjistí z výpisu hovorů, že Abdul moc netelefonoval, ale těsně před smrtí zmáčkl 11 tlačítek. Po prozkoumání přichází McGee na to, že je to jméno - Hans Staiger. Podezřelý ze spolupráce s Al-Kajdou, jako náborář.

Gibbs rozhodne, že budou hlídat a odposlouchávat mešitu. Zjistí však, že už je někdo předběhl - FBI. Dr. Mallard přijde na příčinu smrti. Do Abdulova těla se dostal jeden z nejprudších jedů jedné z chobotnic. Další vyšetřování přivede NCIS ke dvěma podobným záhadným úmrtím muslimských námořníků a k jejich společnému náborovému důstojníkovi - kapitánu Millsovi. Zjistí, že měl problémy s penězi a řešil je spoluprácí se Staigerem. Tři z muslimských problémových vojáků, včetně Abdula, nechtěli spolupracovat a museli za to tudíž zaplatit životem. Kapitán Mills řekne Gibbsovi místo, kde se nachází Staiger, ale za záruku, že nebude žalovaný za terorismus.

Scene opens with a mosque and an evangelical Muslim preaching the need to save non-believers (infidels - for Muslims, this what a non-believer is) and connect with them. Outside, a young man staggers along the street, pursued by a madman wearing a hoodie (thus faceless). Staggering man has a gun but cannot fire it. Collapses. Hoodie takes gun and shoots him.
Credits

Ziva is watching a classic film and Tony is amazed. She indicates she is taking film studies to learn vernacular American English. They get the call to go to the dead marine (staggering man). Turns out that, when they show his photo at the local mosque, the Iman is the dead man's dad.

When Ducky is about to do the autopsy, he reports that there are no surface indications of any struggle. Gibbs cannot fathom why a marine who has fought in war would not protect himself. Ducky is about to cut open the body when Ziva brings the Marine's dad to the door and he pleads for the autopsy not to be done. Ducky decides not to do it. Gibbs is a bit surprised, you might say.

They have to gather evidence by other means. Turns out the FBI has been bugging the mosque, but they are not cooperating...until the FBI-man realises that Gibbs is on the case. The FBI man used to work with Gibbs. They have a relationship where, every time the FBI guy used a 3-dollar word, he had to pay Gibbs 3 dollars. Jenny does not get this male bonding; the pointlessness of it bamboozles her (and most of the female audience, we suspect). It shows that Gibbs and his protege can pick up where they left off. They like each other whilst insulting each other cheerfully.

Ziva, when approached by the FBI-man who is looking for Gibbs, stands and preens herself in front of him. He offers his card, and Tony snatches it, trying to assert his authority. Tony says "what an ass" (meaning donkey) and Ziva, gazing at the guy's ass, agrees. Tony is discombobulated.

Ducky works out that non-invasive imaging would allow a virtual autopsy but, in the time frame he needs it done, they have to do it on the sly, so he takes the body to a hospital and slips in the backway. The magnetic resonance imaging uses magnets, which pulls a bit of metal from the body and thus Abby has the chance to work on some evidence. The metal is the broken off hypodermic needle, that still has toxin in it. The toxin is from the (Australian) blue-ringed octopus (it is an octopus that is small, has pretty blue rings and has the most neurotoxic venom known, so don't put one in your fish tank, OK?) Because the needle broke when inserted in our victim marine, the toxin was not delivered efficiently and thus the man was able to stagger down the road, but hard to tell whether the bullet or toxin actually did him in. The needle is old and thus of a metal that is magnetic, unlike modern needles. Abby, when telling this to Gibbs, is gobsmacked at something so old...from the 1970s. Gibbs just looks at her. She realises that he remembers the 70s. She tries to backtrack from her 'old' statement and gets tangled in her words. Gibbs just looks at her. As he leaves, he tells her to "lose the bubble wrap", which is the bubbled packaging material that she laid on the floor at her door, so she would know when Gibbs enters as he usually enters silently. She looks disappointed that he doesn't like her cunning plan.

Agent Langer delivers Gibbs the recordings of all the bugging they did in the mosque.

Gibbs wondered if there was a pattern involved in the killing of this Muslim marine. McGee did a search and found out that 2 other Muslim marines died within the last few weeks of "natural causes". All three marines who died had the same marine personnel officer. The marine denies having any part in the deaths until Gibbs tells him he's going to be sent to Gitmo in Cuba.

Then the marine cuts a deal to get civilian trial and NOT be prosecuted as a terrorist and in return gives the name of the baddy. When team gets to the baddy, he is already dead and holding the dead marine's prayer beads.

Ziva recognizes the prayer beads (and is about to say the iman took revenge on his son's death) but Gibbs asks her whether she truly knows they are the same beads...she pauses, looks deep into Gibbs eyes, reads the silent message that "we don't want to recognize this clue" and agrees that she does not recognize them after all...and the episode ends.