Na NCIS se otočí FBI s prosbou o vyhledání zběhlého plukovníka z Iráku. Gibbs ho ze svého předchozího působení důvěrně zná, a proto nevěří, že muž zběhl a ukradl při tom dva miliony dolarů. Plukovník ovšem sám Gibbse vyhledá a začne mu vykládat o podivném spiknutí a vykrádání armádních peněz. Gibbs, který riskuje svou kariéru, aby starému příteli pomohl, sice spiknutí a vykrádání peněz odhalí, ale také pochopí, že jeho přítel trpí schizofrenií.

Gibbs receives a package. Gibbs receives orders to find Colonel Ryan, his former commanding officer, because federal authorities have a surveillance tape of Colonel Ryan entering the country under an assumed name, apparently talking with someone but they cannot tell who he is talking to. Gibbs know where Ryan use to go when he was on leave and thus approaches the country holiday cabin, finds a dead body and a tripod. The dead man was a FBI agent of Fornell's. The cabin shows signs of attack; Gibbs denies that Ryan would have attacked the cabin or killed the man. The cabin has been booby-trapped: Gibbs sees the bomb as they are searching and they all run out. After a tedious wait for bomb disposal, Kate accuses Gibbs of needing glasses. Just then the bomb blows up.

Turns out that, in Iraq, Colonel Ryan's task force was charged with recovering money Saddam had stashed around the country. His task force did a good job, they found close to thirty million in U.S. currency. There seemed to be a problem though. Shipments were lost and cancelled at the last minute. Mistakes in the amount being shipment were incorrect. Ryan knew it had to be someone in a very high position in the U.S. government. Ryan sent a decoy shipment with $2 million in cash to draw them out. They killed Ryan's task force and captured Ryan. Ryan escaped.

When Gibbs found Ryan he mentioned the tripod and told Ryan to give him the tapes, that his lab had technology to get information on the damaged tapes. Ryan told Gibbs that whoever was stealing the money, could be CIA, NSA or even NCIS, but who ever it was, they were funding something and killing anyone who found out about it.

When everyone was back at the squad room Fornell told Gibbs that he was looking for Ryan and doesn't care whether Ryan is guilty or innocent. So Gibbs cannot work with Fornell on this, he has to work around him. Gibbs tries to keep his team out of the loop to protect them.

Gibbs in his basement working on his boat, Ryan enters. From their conversation, we know that Gibbs worked with Ryan (his Commanding Officer) and the XO (executive officer) whose name was Cameron. Cameron was supposedly dead 14 years ago, but Ryan brings him to Gibbs basement. Gibbs tells Ryan that Cameron died in his arms and Ryan tells Gibbs apparently he did not.

Gibbs calls the squad room, and Kate tells Gibbs that after Abby cleaned up the tape, they now have an I.D. on one of the shooters at the cabin: Reserve Army Colonel Mike Granger. Ryan tells Gibbs that Granger is just a foot soldier and that they need to get the one who is the head of the conspiracy.

Ryan takes Gibbs to a warehouse where he has stashed enough weapons to blow up D.C. The FBI followed Gibbs and Ryan to the warehouse, everyone holding their weapons on Ryan. Ryan keeps yelling instructions to Cameron, who stays out of sight.

Gibbs persuades Fornell to allow all of them to go see Colonel Granger, to check Ryan's story before anyone loses their life.

In the office of Colonel Granger, Ryan is not acting himself and is talking to someone. Gibbs approaches Ryan, who has a gun and has threatened Col Granger. Fornell has drawn his gun but holds fire, and lets Gibbs approach Ryan. Gibbs talks Ryan into giving up and Gibbs lets Fornell in on "what's happening." We see the scene from the perspective of Ryan, so we see Cameron arguing against Gibbs' urging for Ryan to put down his weapon. Cameron is standing behind Gibbs. But eventually Ryan gives up his weapon after Gibbs repeatedly clarifies what happened 14 years ago, in the heat of battle, when Ryan, Cameron and Gibbs were fighting together. Ryan collapses into Gibbs' arms and Fornell puts down his weapon at the sight of the broken soldier being comforted by his Gunny Sergeant.

Finally, in an end scene at the hospital, we hear the doctor explaining that paranoid schizophrenia is not abnormal at such a late stage in Ryan's life. Gibbs relives the actuality of when his XO died in his arms in Desert Storm and all Ryan keeps on saying is "I don't understand". There was no conspiracy. Ryan was talking to a ghost of Cameron, not wanting to believe Cameron's death was real. Gibbs knew that Cameron could not be present in DC: he had bled out in Gibbs' arms and Gibbs couldn't save him.