Cole battles with Connie, resenting her interference in his champagne operation. However, Chase convinces her to stay on, not realizing she is thrilled to be working near him. In court, after the foreman announces that the jury cannot reach a verdict in Lance's case, Judge Holder orders the jury to deliberate again. After Maggie observes Richard and Holder meeting in the parking lot, she becomes determined to discover if they are conspiring against Lance. While Melissa fears the outcome if anyone discovers that she was responsible for Lance's arrest, her cousin Robin sees Melissa's search for a surrogate mother as the perfect opportunity to move closer to Cole. Cassandra and Damon use Richard and Cole to further establish themselves at Falcon Crest. After the foreman reads the verdict, Lance and his family hear Judge Holder sentence him to seven years in state prison.

Angela takes advantage of Lance's conviction to assume his job as publisher of The New Globe. Richard provokes Lance into a fight at a restaurant, forcing Lance into hiding to avoid being returned to custody. Angela realizes that if Falcon Crest expands to accommodate a contract with Helios Foods, Richard and Chase will fall heavily into debt, and she will once again be the sole owner of the wine empire. She pushes them to agree to bid on the contract. Maggie prefers that Chase sell out and get away from Angela, but he refuses. Cassandra and Damon push the Helios deal to advance their own plans for a takeover. Late that night, Robin tries to seduce Cole with the idea that they could give Melissa the child she wants.

Angela's scheme to regain control of Falcon Crest falls through when she assumes Chase and Richard will be bankrupt after a competitor wins the Helios bid. However, she is unaware that Cassandra Wilder holds the liens on their shares. Cassandra's mother, Anna Rossini, has come for long-awaited vengeance against Angela, now that her daughter owns two-thirds of Falcon Crest. At the winery, Connie offers to make Chase a partner in Giannini Winery. Maggie walks in and catches them in a celebratory embrace. Enraged, she announces she will be moving out that evening. Angela testifies on Melissa's behalf, which gives her a lenient sentence of 60 days in jail, in return for the Agretti harvest. As Lorraine's condition deteriorates rapidly due to brain damage, Lance must sign the release to remove her from life-support systems. As Maggie and Richard comfort each other that evening, an explosion rips through his house, trapping them.