When Harm and Mac are called in to investigate an aborted SEAL operation in Afghanistan, Harm accuses a television news reporter accompanying the SEALs for disobeying orders and causing the error. Meanwhile, Lt. Roberts receives his orders and, leaving Harriet and A.J. behind, ships out for a six-month deployment aboard the USS Seahawk.

Guards at Guantanamo Bay are ordered to remove a detainee from his cell for interrogation. He resists, so the guards try to subdue him and end up putting him in a coma. It turns out the "detainee" was a disguised soldier and the whole thing was a training excercise. Harm is assigned to defend the guards while Mac argues that torture and excessive force are not appropriate even when dealing with terror suspects. Back in Washington, Bud and Mikey Roberts go shopping for shoes and get into a disagreement with another customer that escalates into violence.