Angel, Spike and Gunn travel to a surprisingly unusual hell dimension to free Lindsey and find out what he knows of the Senior Partners' ultimate plans. With Illyria's army defunct and her plans averted, the gang accepts her as a dubious ally. Wesley, volunteering to be her guide and mentor, falls slowly into depression and self-destruction. Meanwhile, the Senior Partners send a new, unstoppable force, a new liaison and businessman, named Marcus Hamilton, to find Eve, and Gunn makes an important decision in an attempt to protect his friends... and save his soul.

Illyria begins acting more strangely than usual. After she rescues Gunn from the suburban hell dimension, she begins displaying more power. After a hint from Hamilton, Wesley discovers that Fred's body is insufficient to contain Illyria's power, and she is about to explode. Meanwhile, Angel discovers that she is unintentionally leapfrogging through time, and uses it as possibly the only way to stop her.