The NCIS team investigates the murder of a Petty Officer found in a Mardi Gras float storage facility with an engagement ring and proposal plan in hand. However, the case takes a mysterious turn when the team is unable to locate his supposed long-term girlfriend.

The NCIS team investigates the murder of a retired SEAL who tracked down individuals impersonating military personnel. But the case takes a mysterious turn when the lead suspect is found with the Navy-issued jacket of an officer believed to have been killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan. Also, Brody discovers the normally holiday-obsessed Lasalle is inexplicably unenthusiastic about Christmas.