McNulty, reassigned to the marine unit, sticks City Homicide with the body he fishes out of the harbour. Nick negotiates a deal to steal a container from the docks but The Greeks end up reneging on the deal, leaving Russell to discover the bodies of 13 women in the aban
Rawls tries to pawn off the shipyard investigation to another jurisdiction after McNulty sends it his way. Valcheck goes after Sobotka and his union with a little help from above. Bunk, Freamon and Russell end up having to track a container ship to Philadelphia.
Bunk and Freamon chase their crime scene, a container ship, to Philly, where none of the crew finds it useful to speak English. Elsewhere, Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, disgusted with his exile to the evidence control unit, lets it be known he's going to leave.
Sobotka reprimands his nephew Nick for stealing the cameras and orders him to bring the cargo back before it's too late. Meanwhile, McNulty is on a self-assigned moral mission to identify his floater, but his old partner, Bunk, says they have a more pressing matter.
Ziggy loses his prized Camaro to drug dealers who aren't buying his alibis about not paying up. Meanwhile, unable to dump the homicide investigation on other police agencies, Colonel Rawls decides to lay the blame on Bunk if the cases go unsolved.
Trying to let go of work and return to his marriage, McNulty gives up on identifying his Jane Doe. Elsewhere, in their investigation of Sobotka, the detectives discover a pattern and explain the connection to Daniels, but he's still not convinced.
Sobotka gives his lobbyist abuse over the status of port legislation. Russell then tells Sobotka the investigation is over but a port computer is cloned and when a container goes missing, the detectives follow.
McNulty is back to his old self, on a drunken binge. Meanwhile, urged by fellow stevedores to fight Maui, Ziggy is again humiliated, but has a moment of redemption later at the bar. Elsewhere, Bunk is worried about McNulty so he asks Daniels and Rawls for their help.
Bodie's effort to improve sales ends disastrously, forcing Bell to rethink his strategy. Meanwhile, Ziggy pulls Johnny Fifty into a new caper that should have the Greeks paying off big, and McNulty, undercover and outnumbered, awaits 'rescue'.
Bodie is unhappy that Proposition Joe's people are slinging on his turf, but business flows until a new face from New York arrives... so Stringer Bell looks for an unlikely solution to the problem. Meanwhile, The Detail uses satellite technology to its advantage.
With the clock ticking, The Detail makes a desperate move and Daniels furiously rebukes Landsman for dropping the ball. Meanwhile, Nick's deceit is out in the open, and Sobotka is overwhelmed by bad news.
The Detail has a setback and needs a new co-operator, whilst Russell and Bunk visit Philly, looking for evidence. Elsewhere, Brother Mouzone talks with Stringer Bell regarding their agreement, leaving Bell to deal with Avon Barksdale.