When a 15-year-old girl is hit by a car and killed, Detectives Benson and Stabler are surprised when Dr. Melinda Warner rules it a homicide. She has found signs that the girl was being starved, and had even recently given birth. As the two look into the case with the help of Detective Odafin Tutuola and Dr. George Huang, they find that the girl had fallen victim to a human trafficking ring, and though some think it's a case for the FBI, the cops instead reach out to Assistant U.S. Attorney and friend Christine Danielson, who has moved up in the world since the detectives last saw her. Meanwhile, Captain Donald Cragen is frustrated by his crumbling precinct.

When detectives Benson and Stabler investigate a brutal attack on an unassuming, upstanding father, they find he's also been branded on his chest with a wire coat hanger. Before long, another victim turns up who has suffered the same injuries. Once they track down the suspect, some startling memories surface that completely change the course of the case.