A gang of bank robbers, dubbed The Royal Flush Gang, hits a local bank and seriously wounds an off-duty police officer during a heist. Diggle tells Oliver he needs to deviate from his father's list and start helping the citizens of Starling City. Meanwhile, Tommy asks Thea for relationship advice, but things get awkward when she realizes he was asking about Laurel. Moira confronts Oliver about all of his recent disappearances in the middle of family functions.

After Oliver is shot, he turns to a surprising person for help - Felicity. Diggle is stunned when he sees Felicity walk through the front door of the lair dragging a dying Oliver behind her, and the two team up to save Oliver's life. As Oliver hovers between life and death, he flashes back to a seminal event on the island - a daring escape attempt with his new friend Slade Wilson.

With the Undertaking days away, Malcolm dons his black hood to conclude business with seismologist Dr. Brion Markov and his team. Oliver and Moira entertain a number of surprise - and mostly unwelcome - visitors. Hooded confrontations at home and the Meryln Global Group reveal dark secrets. Meanwhile, Roy and Thea are still looking out for a hero. Laurel makes a decision after Tommy's revelation. In a flashback to the island, Oliver, Slade and Shado struggle to prevent Fyers from shooting a Ferris Air jet out of the sky. Paul Blackthorne and David Ramsey also star.

Diggle and Felicity travel to the island of Lian Yu in search of Oliver, who left Starling City after the devastation of The Undertaking and his failure to avert it. Convinced to return home, Oliver finds that things are in much worse shape than he imagined – Isabel Rochev is preparing a hostile takeover of Queen Consolidated, Thea refuses to visit Moira in jail, Roy is trying to fill the void left by the Arrow's absence, and Laurel is working with the District Attorney's office to take down the vigilante. Meanwhile, flashbacks to the island show Oliver's mentors Slade, Shado and Oliver in a desperate situation.

After covering from a near-fatal drug overdose, Oliver begins hallucinating people from his past. Believing he's a liability, Oliver gives the information he has on Cyrus Gold to Quentin... which results in the deaths of several police officers. Meanwhile, Brother Blood captures Roy and uses him as a test subject for his new serum. In the past on the island, Ivo gives Oliver an impossible choice to make.

The Huntress returns and takes hostages at the courthouse when her father is arrested. Laurel is among those taken, which prompts her sister, the Canary, to battle the Huntress in an epic confrontation. Meanwhile, Roy tries to keep Thea safe, but he doesn't like the way he is forced to do it.

As Oliver's face off with Slade escalates, his resolve to the no-kill rule is tested. Especially as Slade targets the woman Oliver loves.

Nyssa believes that Malcolm killed Sara and goes after him to avenger her lover's murder. Oliver discovers that he has no choice but to stop her, despite Laurel insisting that he avenger her sister's death. Meanwhile, Thea returns to Starling City and settles in... until Nyssa discovers that she's Malcolm's daughter.

With time running out for Starling City, Oliver tries to stop Ra's from unleashing the bioweapon and killing millions.

Oliver and Thea are concerned when a family friend plans to run for mayor. Thea starts to exhibit side effects from the Lazarus Pit. Felicity asks an employee for help with a business decision.

After the city is attacked again, Oliver makes a bold move against HIVE. Malcolm checks in on Thea and leaves her with a warning. Things take a horrible turn when Damien Darhk retaliates in a brutal manner at Oliver’s mayoral holiday party.

Oliver teams up with a surprising force in an attempt to stop Damien Darhk and his magic once and for all.

Prometheus claims two more victims, and Oliver realizes that the killings are related to the people on his father's list. His recruits aren't happy to hear that Oliver used to be a serial killer. In the past, Oliver finally meets Kovar and may not live to regret it.