As another day of fantasy plays out in Westworld - a vast, remote park where guests pay top dollar to share wild-west adventures with android "hosts" -, top programmer Bernard Lowe alerts park founder Dr. Robert Ford about incidents of aberrant behavior cropping up in some recently re-coded hosts. Meanwhile, in the Westworld town of Sweetwater, a rancher's daughter named Dolores encounters a gunslinger named Teddy in the street - but their predictable narrative is upended by the appearance of a ruthless Man in Black and, later, by a supporting host's unscripted encounter with an artifact of the outside world.

Elsie discovers a possible source of sabotage, while Bernard searches for clues to anomalies in a sector thought to be abandoned. Theresa questions Ford's leadership while Lee encounters a new arrival at Westworld. The Man in Black and Teddy run afoul of a Union garrison in their attempt to cross a border.

Ford orders a reluctant Bernard to conduct business as usual. Maeve looks to change the script for her storyline. Dolores finds it increasingly difficult to separate dreams from reality. Teddy is jarred by dark memories, while the Man in Black recalls some of the travails that brought him to this critical juncture.

Maeve approaches Sweetwater's longtime outlaw Hector Escaton with a bold proposition. William tries to convince Logan to help liberate Dolores. Teddy and the Man in Black get closer to what they're looking for. Stubbs's suspicions are aroused. Ford cautions Bernard against seeking answers to questions best left unasked.

There is beauty in who we are. Shouldn't we, too, try to survive? Truth is, we don't all deserve to make it. Dolores makes her next move as Charlotte scrambles to protect Delos' most prized asset. Bernard gets closer to the truth and Maeve continues the search for her daughter.

Is this now? If you're looking forward, you're looking in the wrong direction. The Man in Black offers to lead the way and Delos gets a visitor. Who is James Delos? Or, perhaps more accurately, what is James Delos, the figure at the center of Delos' secret project.

When you're lost in the dark for long enough, you begin to see - strike the match. Bernard and Ford meet again, and Bernard grapples with the true meaning of the park. The Cradle is under threat and Maeve encounters a scene from her past - but this time, attempts to change the narrative, while the Man in Black discovers just how real the stakes are in Ford's game.