Nolan's search for Irisa leads him to "New Chicago" and "Angel Arc" Los Angeles. Meanwhile, back in Defiance, the Earth Republic appoints a charming, calculating and ambitious man named Niles Pottinger as mayor.

Irisa continues to experience blackouts at a terrifying and increasing rate, but she tries to keep a worried Nolan in the dark about her situation; and under Stahma's self-appointed leadership, the Tarr family business prospers, while an increasingly suspicious Datak remains locked up behind bars.