- A war hero back from Vietnam dies under mysterious circumstances. Was it a murder or a suicide? For McGarrett, finding the truth is no easy matter, as neither the victim's family nor the U.S. Army are willing to cooperate.
- A man is seen falling from an apartment's balcony and plunges to his death. As people gather around the dead body a man in another room, who had been eavesdropping on the victim, frantically calls someone to find out what to do. He hangs up and then hurriedly packs his equipment and leaves.
At the morgue McGarrett questions the victims father, Brig. Gen. Earl Rigney. He tells him that his son, Lt. Jack Rigney, has just come back from Vietnam. The father can think of no reason to explain his son's death.
At the Five-O office McGarrett consults a file Kono brings in. A person a witness had previously reported at the scene matches the picture of the victim's brother. McGarrett wonders why the father didn't mention this other son.
The elusive son (Michael Rigney) arrives at his girlfriend's dorm room. He doesn't realize that the same man who had bugged his brother's apartment is keeping him under surveillance. Gail asks if he saw his brother and he rather indifferently says yes. He is scheduled to report for induction in a few days but he doesn't want to go. He has all but decided to go to Canada to avoid being drafted.
McGarrett goes to Michael's bungalow and finds the father there staring at all of the anti-war posters on the walls. He asks the General why he failed to mention his other son. He says he didn't think it was important and bemoans the fact his younger son has turned against the values he and his now dead son shared. He admits Michael said he had visited Jack but he doesn't think he could have killed him. McGarrett asks if it is possible Jack killed himself. The General refuses to accept that it is even possible. McGarrett tells Danno to put out an A.P.B. on Michael and his girlfriend.
Michael and Gail arrive at the "Hawaii Committee To Aid Draft Resistance" office with the mysterious agent still in tow. A counselor, an older man, is role playing with him to show what it will be like when he goes to the draft board. He leaves in despair still wondering what he will do when the time comes. Outside, they see the newspaper headline about his brother's death and that he is now wanted by the police. Michael is shocked by the news of his brother's death. He tells Gail he is going to Canada. As they leave the mystery man continues to follow them.
The Five - 0 team examines the room used to listen in on Jack's apartment. The former occupant has left the room in nearly spotless condition. McGarrett finds a piece of wire and other signs of bugging. They decide someone was bugging Jack's apartment before he died - but who? And why would anyone want to bug a war hero? McGarrett orders a forensic team to come in and and look for more clues.
Michael and Gail go to a remote shack where a number of hippies are hanging out. He asks for help to get out of Hawaii. He discovers that it will take $500.00 to do it which he doesn't have. He decides to go see his mother at the chapel where his brother is located. But once there, he realizes she is so grief stricken that he decides to leave her alone.
Meanwhile, Danno is preparing to go undercover as a soldier looking to go AWOL. When he manages to introduce himself to an anti-war protester she agrees to take him to the same people who will help Michael Rigney.
At the Five-0 office, Chin reports the fingerprints of the bugger belong to a Allan Croyden , an agent of the Army Criminal Investigation Service. Now the case is getting truly complicated; why would the Army bug a war hero? McGarrett decides to go to the Provost Office to see if they can shed any light on the case. When he gets there a Lt. refuses to cooperate citing national security.
Danno arrives at the shack. One of the guys offers to get him off island for $500.00. Danno sees that Michael and Gail are also there. One of hippies recognizes Danno as "the fuzz". But before they can do anything several cars filled with plain clothes police arrive and arrest everyone.
General Rigney and McGarrett return to the Provost Office and demand an explanation for the surveillance of Jack. Col. Franklin again reiterates that the matter is classified. After McGarrett explains the tape is needed for a murder investigation to possibly clear the victim's brother, the Colonel will only state they are looking into incidents that occurred in Vietnam.
They leave and head back to McGarrett's office. They meet up with Danno who tells them he was let go as soon as he showed his police I.D. but he could not identify the agency that conducted the arrests. General Rigney decides to call someone in the Pentagon to plead for cooperation from the Army. An unidentified civilian, a personal friend of the General, promises to do what he can.
Finally, everyone (including the victim's family) gathers at the Provost's office as the Army has now agreed to play the tape recording. As they listen, the scene dissolves to show what happened as they listen to the tape. Jack is pacing about with a gun when someone knocks on the door. It's Michael, who stops Jack from shooting himself. Michael asks Jack why he would want to kill himself. He starts sobbing and explains how horrible it was in Vietnam. He recounts how they had attacked an alleged Viet Cong stronghold that wasn't. He talked about the insanity of the war there, of killing innocent civilians. Michael tells him to call their father, but Jack says no, he doesn't want him to know about it - about what he has done. His dad thinks he's a hero but he isn't. Michael finally agrees to leave, but only after Jack promises to go to the doctor. Michael takes the gun with him as he leaves. Everyone then listens intently as they hear him pull open the drapes and then the patio door followed by the screams of the witnesses.
Michael's father embraces him and tells him it's time to prepare for his induction. Michael tells him he won't, that he would rather go to jail instead. "Then I have TWO dead sons," he says and turns to leave, followed by his wife. Michael and Gail look at each other for a moment and then cautiously go out the door and into an uncertain future.
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