Warrick's appearance at the preliminary hearing on a rape and murder case goes terribly wrong when the only piece of evidence is thrown out on a technicality. Grissom and the team have 24 hours to make the case with new evidence or the killer will go free.

The sheriff is under political pressure to find who killed an air marshal with a car bomb that the sheriff witnessed. Grissom, Catherine and Nick are pressured to produce results. Warrick and Sara try to find the murderer of the wife of a singer who headlines on the strip.