When a gay man is beaten to death during the abduction of his adopted infant son, Detectives Briscoe and Green suspect that ransom from the murder victim's wealthy partner may have been the motive for the crime. But as more is learned about the child's birth mother and homophobic biological father, Assistant D.A.'s McCoy and Carmichael find that what appeared to be a botched kidnapping might be more accurately prosecuted as a hate crime.

A woman is drugged and falls to her death, and the evidence suggests that her ex-boyfriend and her current husband's ex-wife may have conspired to kill her.

The investigation of a woman's strangulation leads to a case involving the selling of drugs and a gangster's son.