A bounty hunter named 'Jubal Early' sneaks aboard Serenity, hoping to capture River for an enormous reward. He takes Simon captive, hoping he will lead him to River. The only problem is that they can't find River anywhere aboard the ship.

The mysterious symbol on Doe's chest is part of the calling card left by a serial killer known as The Mourner who knows a lot about Doe, whom he challenges with cryptic clues as he puts more lives in danger.

Missing a flight back to Olivine City, the gang finds help from a man with a not-so-safe plane.

A Christmas-tree thief chops off his own thumb and a farmer injures his leg while trying to catch him. Things don't look good for the thief's thumb and there's a valuable lesson to be learned about the care of severed digits. The plastic surgeon suggests replacing the thumb with a big toe. It's then revealed the bloke who nicked the tree is the brother-in-law of the farmer who has been brought in with the injured leg, and therein lies a 15-year family feud. Jack is forced to silence a victim of his father's empire when Eddie's gang confronts him. Lara spends an evening with Harry's kids, unaware of Beth's true feelings.