Ray receives a call from the drug dealer they stole from, who orders them to go to Ray's house and kill him. When Ray arrives, he finds his house ransacked by his dog Shermie. Later, the caller threatens to kill Bart and Manny, prompting Ray to try to warn Manny, but Manny does not answer. This sets off a tense sequence where Ray is pursued by men watching Manny's house, narrowly escaping an attack with the help of a truck in a narrow alley.

The main characters introduced are Ray Driscoll and Manny Carvalho, two best friends involved in small-time drug thefts in Philadelphia. They have a long-standing friendship and partnership in crime, with Ray having a backstory involving prison and an adoptive mother named Theresa. They enlist an ex-convict named Rick to help expand their operation.

Theresa is Ray's unofficial adoptive mother who took him under her wing after his father went to prison. She is a no-nonsense but loving figure in Ray's life. In the episode, she returns home against Ray's wishes demanding the truth about his activities, and later receives a call about Bart being stabbed, which leads to a visit to the hospital and further complications.

The DEA recovers license plates from Ray's burned van and a gun used in the robbery. By tracking down the dealer the items were stolen from, they obtain a composite sketch of Ray's face, increasing the pressure on him and his associates.

The box containing a threatening note and the severed head of Malik, an associate, is a brutal warning to Ray. It signifies the dangerous stakes of their criminal activities and the violent retaliation from rival drug dealers or gangs, escalating the tension and danger surrounding Ray and Manny.