Roztrhané tělo mariòáka je nalezeno v národním parku. Vše nasvědčuje tomu, že šlo o útok medvěda. V průběhu vyšetřování výjde, že námořník nebyl v parku sám. NCIS rozjede pátrání po ženě, která byla s ním a je možná ještě naživu. Původní teorie útoku mědvěda vezme za své, když se zjistí, že v parku se událo několik podobných případů a možná jde o útoky sériového vraha.

Tony has dragged Ziva down to autopsy to see what he calls every newbie’s worst nightmare. She would rather be taking a shower; they have apparently just come from the gym. Ducky is conducting an autopsy, and all new agents are required to observe one. Gibbs interrupts just after a newbie pukes, saying a body was found in Shenandoah park.

At the park, the team investigates the sailor’s campsite and what remains of his mauled body. Tony assigns McGee the job of bagging and tagging the bear poo, since he was a boy scout and all. The rangers explain that the area was restricted to campers because a hunter, Jason Edom, had been caught bear baiting there last month. Tony attempts to impress the cute female ranger by suggesting he is a nature fan. He screws up, however, when he says he will have to try bear baiting next time, which Ziva then points out is illegal. Meanwhile, Gibbs has noticed that the victim was not alone. There are two sets of footprints and a pair of women’s panties. The rangers and locals set up a search party to find the missing woman, while Tony, Ziva and McGee head to the local general store Jackrabbit Slims, where park visitors often park, in search of the victim’s car. Inside the store, Ziva and Jason Edom, who works there, have a small verbal confrontation, during which he shows his disdain for her religion. The owner, Wes, apologizes for Edom's behavior. Gibbs had returned to DC with Ducky. Ducky discovers no defensive wounds on the victim’s body to indicate a bear attack, but rather a cut made by a flat blade into the heart. He was not killed by the bear.

In the bullpen Tony and McGee are discussing the case when Ziva comes in with a box of black roses. She had almost forgotten it was Abby’s birthday. She heads down to the lab where she finds that Abby has already received 2 bouquets of black roses. Abby confides in Ziva that she is distressed because Gibbs didn’t take her out last night for their traditional birthday dinner. Ziva’s explanation of “he probably just forgot” doesn’t seem to console her. Ziva realizes her mistake and tries to fix it, offering to remind him but Abby doesn’t want that. Abby, rather sadly, returns to work to find a name to go with the birth control patch they found. At the elevator Ziva bumps into Ducky, a bouquet of black roses and goth teddy bear in hand. He complains he had to go to 4 flower shops to find them; apparently they are sold out all over the city.

Tony has a theory: since no one saw the girlfriend, perhaps she did not want to be seen. Perhaps she is a black widow. Ziva doesn’t buy it. Gibbs returns, having spent the night tracking the missing woman. He wants McGee to put the film dooeywhacker (digital camera’s memory card) up on the plasma. He shows them that there was no sign of her walking out of the campsite, indicating that she was carried. The only obvious part of the trail was the back edge of a military issue boot and a rhinestone. Gibbs sends Ziva and Tony back to the park; they see it as an opportunity to hit on their respective park rangers again. At Jackrabbit Slims they both warm up to the rangers.

Abby is a little cold and curt towards Gibbs when he comes to the lab. She has matched hair samples from the campsite and the car, indicating that the girlfriend drove out there with him. Abby seeks some comfort from Bert after he leaves. Upstairs Tony is gloating that he and his ranger are going out next weekend. Ziva counters with the fact that her ranger asked her out tonight. She said no, didn’t want to seem “sleazy” (instead of easy). Tony and Ziva compete to tell Gibbs about the accidental deaths in the park over the last few years, all female. McGee, who had been hard at work, interrupts, noting that he found something. He pulled the driver's license photos of the supposed accident victims. Their appearances are so similar that they could be sisters, which makes coincidental incidences seem unlikely. They have a killer using park accidents to cover up murder.

Abby and McGee have a slight miscommunication in the lab. He thinks they are having a conversation about the serial killer while she is actually talking about Gibbs forgetting her birthday. Abby is very touched that McGee feels his actions are unforgivable for which there is no excuse. McGee gets a hug, and plays along. Gibbs arrives at this point and threatens to send McGee to a weather station in the Antarctic. Abby tells him she has found out who the missing woman is. The birth control patch was new, and the company had to keep records of who was using them. Abby then narrowed it down and found the only one who did not show up to work, Jessica Fagan. She is physically similar to the other women.

The rangers arrive to help and when Abby calls to say she found something, Ziva and her ranger, James Landis, go down with Gibbs. Tony is left getting a photo of Fagan for his ranger. Things remain flirty, until Tony notices her underarm hair and unshaven legs. In an attempt to extricate himself from the impending date, he breaks down telling her his wife died in pottery accident and he isn’t ready to move on. Cut to a shot of Edom receiving the photo by fax at the store and throwing it away. Back at the lab Abby lets them know that the victim was sprayed down with a hunting lure, specifically Uncle Bebo’s Bear Attractant. Meanwhile, McGee has found Edom’s prints on a number of things at the campsite.

Edom is brought in for questioning. From the observation room Ziva is watching him. Gibbs comes in and wants to know if she could interrogate him without breaking any bones. “Truthfully? No.” He assigns his defense to her and goes in to interrogate Edom himself. He claims not to have been inside the park and that he didn’t know Fagan or any of the other women. Back upstairs Tony wants to know if Ziva shaves. He then wants to know how she is doing with Edom’s defense. She is still convinced of his guilt, but at Tony’s prodding she theorizes that all the items with Edom’s prints could have been purchased by the victim at Jackrabbit Slim’s. She then discovers that the night of the killing Edom was at his daughter’s dance recital. He didn’t do it. Gibbs still wants Ziva to interrogate him as he thinks Edom knows who did kill the petty officer.

Ziva, in an effort establish a rapport with him, tells Edom that her father never came to her dance recitals. She plays on his love for his daughter, telling him that each of the victims was someone's princess. He tells her that Fagan was the store owner’s former girlfriend. Meanwhile, Tony and Mcgee find that Fagan had filed a restraining order against Wes, but had since changed her name. They theorize he took his anger out on woman who resembled her. Before they leave, Abby calls Gibbs down. She has discovered the rhinestones are a trail and wants to tell him it's okay that he forgot her birthday. He says he didn’t forget and tells her to check her desk, where there is a Pulp Fiction present awaiting her. Gibbs is trying to leave when Ducky catches up with him. His review of the other cases showed him the killer kept them alive for maybe 10 days.

There are two possible cabins in the park where the killer could have taken her. Gibbs, Tony and McGee head out. Ziva is told to stay behind since they want to take him alive. Gibbs is on the trail, but it is more obvious this time, and whoever it is appears to be tracking someone else. Gibbs decides it's too obvious, maybe an ambush, so they separate for better cover. Back at the base, in Ranger Landis’ cabin, Ziva notices a rhinestone on the floor. Cut back to the woods. A shot is fired and the team converge to find Landis has shot Wes, the store owner, he says he was trying to find Jessica...Ziva has followed the trail to a locked room and a tied up Fagan.

Landis, Gibbs, McGee, Tony and unconscious Wes are heading back to base camp when they hear the radio report that Jessica was found in Landis' root cellar. Landis turns his shotgun on them. Gibbs remains calm and asks how many, to which Landis replies 26. Suddenly Gibbs throws his rifle at Landis and launches himself at him. McGee and Tony who are holding an unconscious Wes debate whether or not Gibbs needs any help. As soon as Landis gets the better of Gibbs and runs off they drop the body. But Gibbs has already raised his rifle and shot him in the—well, let's just go with behind.