When a young couple is found murdered in the back of a padlocked truck, Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler investigate the scene and link the male victim to a dangerous Mexican drug cartel. Benson and Stabler follow a lead to an abandoned drug den where they are surprised to see FBI Special Agent Dean Porter, who is separately working on the case. Porter tries to take over the investigation, but suspicion arises and the two continue the hunt for the murderer. Following their intuition, Benson and Stabler come across shocking discoveries, which lead them to believe this case is much larger than a mere drug-related murder.

After risqu? photos of a fifteen-year-old rape victim are leaked onto the internet, Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson's case becomes much more complicated. As the detectives' case slowly morphs into an investigation by the State Bar, Stabler's son becomes entangled in a streak of compromising events at the hands of his best friend, a recovering drug addict. As Benson takes charge of the rape case, Stabler is forced to set his personal opinions aside and deal with the potentially life-threatening situation his son and his friend have so carelessly gotten themselves into.