While working on an assignment, Gibbs is seriously injured in an explosion, and taken to a hospital, where he recalls his painful past, which he has always hidden from others. The rest of the team must proceed with the investigation and put their feelings towards Gibbs's injury aside. Tony is left in charge, which may cause a bit of trouble.

The NCIS team must work on an assignment against a terrorist group without Gibbs, who is still recovering from the explosion. Gibbs has to fight with memory loss, while he's visited by his mentor and his former boss. His help is needed, expecially when the team discovers that Gibbs is the only person who has informations about the terrorists' plans, so he needs to retrieve his memory before the terrorists attack.

Gibbs finds himself emotionally challenged when he agrees to investigate a crime connected to a friend of his daughter, who passed away years ago, and the investigation leads to a shocking conclusion.

Gibbs heads to Mexico to face his demons and make a startling decision.

The NCIS team uncovers a discrepancy with DNA remains when investigating the crash of a military plane that had been transporting caskets.

During a routine stop for his morning coffee, Gibbs finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun, forcing him to question choices he has made in the past and present

Gibbs calls on the team to assist DEA Agent Luis Mitchell with a case that keeps going cold, but DiNozzo discovers there is more to Gibbs’ personal connection to the agent and his desire to help him succeed. Also, the team gossips about Gibbs’ new look after he replaces his standard military haircut and polo shirt for a modern cut and tailored dress shirt.