After a travel writer is found tied up with a woman's undergarments choking off his air supply, Benson and Stabler initially suspect his landlord's boyfriend, but suspicion soon turns to the landlord and her teenage daughter. Both seem far too interested in what their tenant is doing with his time.

The murder of an 8-year-old boy leads to a case involving the rights of a convicted child molester who has served his sentence and has returned to society.