Po té, co zdravotník jednotky námořnictva padne v palbě nepřítele v Iráku, jeho kamarádka otevře jeho pronajatý sklad. V jeho dodávce se najde kostra dívky, mužovy bývalé kamarádky, která před dlouho dobou zmizela. Muži, který je posmrtně navržen na vyznamenání za statečnost, hrozí označení vraha. To Gibbs nechce připustit a dokáže, že vrahem dívky byl její nevlastní otec. Když zdravotník padl, vrah si myslel, že svůj čin hodí na mrtvého.

The episode opens with a young woman being let into a storage locker by the manager. The locker is rented by a friend not her. She is looking for a photo of his mother so he can be buried with it. To the woman’s annoyance the manager is interested in buying the truck. He moves a tarp in the bed revealing skeletal remains.

Tony comes in, very upset because he thinks his car has been towed and he keeps being put on hold. Abby comes up to talk with Kate about their weekend plans. Much to Tony’s interest they are going to a spa. Before they head to the crime scene, McGee notes that Petty Officer Dobbs (the actual renter of the storage locker) was killed in Iraq and is up for a Silver Star. Ducky IDs the body from the locker as Nora Webb, a friend of the young woman (Emmy Pool) and PO Dobbs. She went gone missing their senior year, and the police had always suspected Dobbs was involved. Ducky estimates the time of death was around when she went missing. Lt Cmdr. Coleman arrives at NCIS to see Gibbs. Sec Nav wants JAG involved because Dobbs is up for the Silver Star and they want to make sure they don’t award it to a murderer. Coleman and Gibbs butt heads, of course. Coleman passes on orders from Sec Nav: the team has 24 hours to solve this, which means no spa visit for Kate and Abby.

Kate and Gibbs go to talk to the local LEOs who say Nora was last seen leaving a party with Dobbs. They then head to the nursery her parents run. Meanwhile, Abby is missing her spa time and happily discovers Palmer knows massage. Tony catches him, headslaps him, and chastises him about sexual harassment. Abby and McGee tell Tony that he acts like Gibbs when Gibbs isn’t around. Bringing her Caff-Pows, turning off the music, deeper voice, staring at her--but he doesn’t have the right stare. The 24 hrs is up and Lt Cmdr Coleman is pushing for a resolution, if they don't have a result PO Dobbs' star will have to be withheld. Ducky has concluded that Nora Webb was strangled and convinces Gibbs to follow his gut. Gibbs wants to call in Emmy Pool because he feels she is hiding something. However, he is too late; the police have found her with her wrists slit.

LEOs don’t want to hand over the apparent suicide to NCIS, but allow the team to look around. They say she had been depressed and on meds since Nora Webb went missing. Gibbs tracks down Lt Cmdr. Coleman to buy them some more time. He is waiting for her at her car when she finishes her morning run and convinces her to let Ducky examine Dobbs' body in order to delay the funeral and the necessity of deciding about the star. Tony and Kate have gone to talk to Nora’s parents again. Her mother is helpful, explaining how hard it has been, particularly on Emmy Pool. She mentions selling the nursery and moving on. Abby has excitedly discovered that the plastic Nora’s body was wrapped in has only been manufactured for 4 months, so the body must have been moved recently. She is hoping the news will please Gibbs enough for her and Kate to get some spa time. Unfortunately, Lt Cmdr Coleman relays that Sec Nav has decided not to award the Silver Star.

McGee and Gibbs realize that the person who dumped the body could have used someone else’s code to gain access to the locker (Dobbs’ had only been used once) and start checking the surveillance tape. Meanwhile, Lt. Cmdr. Coleman comes in to help, she wants to be around if the team pulls off a miracle. They recognize Nora’s father on the tape and Abby learns that fertilizer was found on the body. Tony and Gibbs go to arrest him. He confesses that he and Emmy Pool were having an affair and Nora found out. He killed her before she could tell her mother. Petty Officer Dobbs can now receive the Silver Star. Lt. Cmdr. Coleman asks Gibbs to go to the funeral and ceremony with her, he agrees. At the end of the episode, the team is watching a car chase on TV and it's Tony’s car. He is devastated when it crashes.