Emma tries to convince a reluctant Regina to help her find the Snow Queen, only to discover that Regina is lying to her about Sidney's whereabouts. Meanwhile, David convinces Mary Margaret to go on a date, but the date turns into a hunt when Will escapes his jail cell. In the past, Emma befriends another young orphan who isn't all that she seems.

As Storybrooke descends into chaos as the Snow Queen's spell takes hold, Emma and Elsa try to trick Regina into destroying the ribbons so that they can attack the Queen. In the past, Ingrid adopts Emma and attempts to show the girl that she's a powerful sorceress.

Emma is still reeling after learning the truth of her parents’ history with Maleficent, but she must focus on finding the Author, who is running loose in Storybrooke, before Gold does. When Gold’s quest for his happy ending grows more urgent, he blackmails Regina into helping him. In a Fairy Tale Land flashback, Robin Hood learns what it means to be an honorable thief when he accepts a proposition by Rumpelstiltskin to travel to Oz to steal a valuable magic elixir from the Wicked Witch.