Lucious attempts to steal a super-hot, chart-topping artist from his rival at Safe House Records. Meanwhile, Jamal struggles to compose original music and Cookie tries to forge a relationship with her estranged son, Hakeem,.

Lucious asks Cookie to manage Elle Dallas, Empire Entertainment's first label star, who hasn't produced an album in years. Meanwhile, Vernon is caught in the middle of a very sticky situation. Then, as Jamal rises to stardom, his newfound drive and ambition stirs up trouble in his relationships. To make matters worse, a mystery woman from the family's past shows up with a huge surprise. Also, Lucious hires Malcom to be the new head of security at Empire Entertainment.