An old murder case of a teenage girl is reopened, when Detective Lake is caught in a gunfight and wounded by the case's former investigator, Detective Mary Kralik. The shooting leaves Kralik dead, and Lake's uncooperative answers lead to confusion in the squad room. The case intensifies when Lake escapes from the hospital, and takes hostage the original case's only witness, Celina Cruz. The SVU squad is left to revisit the original murder case, as Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler search for Lake and his hostage.