: Peyton investigates a mysterious woman named Ellie Harp who claims to be her biological mother. Confused and angry, Peyton initially turns away from both her father and Ellie, though she later helps Brooke move into her new apartment—the same one Haley and Nathan once shared.

The episode focuses on the fallout of the fire at Scott Motors and the return of key characters after a long summer away from Tree Hill.

: Dan Scott survived the fire at his dealership but remains hospitalized. He makes a confession to a priest, vowing to remember who drugged him and tried to kill him. It is later revealed (though not to Dan yet) that Deb Scott was the one who set the fire.