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.

When Ziva accidentally witnesses a political assassination, she must surrender to the FBI and deal with the consenquences without Gibbs's help, who is now enjoying his retirement. She learns that the FBI is looking for her and escapes, while the NCIS team, leaded by Tony, must prove that Ziva is innocent. However, when things get more complicated, Ziva seeks help from the one person that always trusted her, Gibbs.

When a colleague's murder sends shockwaves through the team, Gibbs uncovers a surprising link to the crime.