He speaks of his regard for Sydney, angering Irina. "Don't ever talk about your love for my daughter," she says. Later in Tuscany, Sloane surprises Emily with the purchase of a villa. At the CIA, Jack takes over the briefing from Kendall. Due to his intimate knowledge of Irina, he's been assigned operational control of the task force aimed at her, and Sloane's, apprehension. Jack reveals he secretly injected Irina with a passive transmitter, and that it will reveal her location in 12 hours.

During target practice, Vaughn tells Sydney that his security clearance has been temporarily downgraded but he's still field-ready. He advises her not to join the task force; she shouldn't have to hunt her own mother. Syd assures him that she won't hesitate to pull the trigger. Meanwhile, an incensed Kendall, feeling misled into trusting Irina, confronts Jack. Jack assures Kendall that he's not after his job and he'll step down after Irina's capture.

Irina's signal goes live; she's in Stuttgart along with Sark. Posing as a Scandinavian pharmaceutical rep, Irina gains access to the genetic database at Brucker Biotech, the German equivalent of the Human Genome Project.

Sark spots the CIA outside and assumes Irina's tagged. He de-bugs her with an electric shock and sets an explosive while she downloads the database. The CIA moves in. Sark meets Vaughn in a stairwell and shoots him. Sydney knocks the gun from Sark, who then flees. Vaughn, Syd learns, was wearing a bullet-proof vest. Irina then baits them into chasing her, so they're free of the building as the bomb explodes.

In Tuscany, Emily answers a call from Irina. She summons Sloane, who is told to go to his jet for the handoff. Sloane begs a confused Emily to trust him. Back at the CIA, Will explains that the data contains the DNA of millions of private citizens. Marshall theorises that Sloane could develop genetically-targeted weapons. In Sloane's jet, Emily is shocked to see Irina, whom she thought dead, and angered at Sloane's continuing deception. Sloane explains that what he's after will let her live cancer free forever.

At dinner in L.A., Sydney thinks Francie's behaviour is odd after she presents Vaughn with a gift.

Emily, meanwhile, turns herself in to the American consulate in Florence and asks to speak to Syd, who flies in to meet her. Tired of the lies and rationalising, Emily offers up Sloane in return for the CIA promise that he won't get the death-penalty. Sydney sympathises with Emily, admitting she sees her as a maternal figure. Jack agrees to the condition.

Sloane, however, is ready to quit crime for Emily's sake. He tells Irina that he wants to sell her all his assets, including his collection of Rimbaldi artefacts. He tells Irina to meet him at the villa.

With Emily wired and the CIA surrounding the villa, Sloane arrives with Irina. Irina retrieves the data while Sloane tells his wife that he loves her. Guilt-ridden, she exposes the wire. With the CIA moving in, Sloane, understanding his wife's torment, asks her to escape with him. She chooses to run with him and they escape through an underground passage. Irina follows, as does a pursuing Sydney.

Syd catches up to Irina, who's vulnerable as she climbs a ladder to the surface. Syd hesitates before shooting her mother in the arm. Irina drops the disk, but makes it out. Armed with a sniper scope, Dixon spots Sloane and Emily running toward a helicopter, Irina following. He targets Sloane, fires, and hits … Emily. Irina grabs Sloane, who's grieving over Emily's body, and they escape to the chopper. Sydney is devastated.

Back in Syd's apartment, Sydney and Vaughn are in bed when they hear Morse code coming from the earrings that had once belonged to Irina. Sydney decrypts the message, which reads: TRUTH TAKES TIME.