Star and Hunter take their relationship to the next level, while Rose returns to help Alex and Derek deal with the aftermath of a traumatic experience. Carlotta reveals her reasoning for keeping a secret to herself for all of these years, and Cotton does the unthinkable to the one person she trusts the most. Meanwhile, the girls have a publicity photo shoot with social media guru Rachel Wells, and someone is finally arrested and charged for Otis' murder.

The girls receive a rude awakening when the fierce new label head, Ayanna, demands they re-brand their image in order to have a shot at competing with the label's other talented artists. A disgruntled Star chooses to take matters into her own hands, causing tensions between her and Carlotta to escalate. Meanwhile, Alex, Simone and Cotton all struggle with adjusting to some major life changes.

A rattled Star is reeling with emotions, while dealing with the sudden reappearance of her father. A huge opportunity for the girls to perform at the record label party is put into jeopardy after they react to learning that Ayanna has hired Rachel Wells as the label's new social media strategist. Meanwhile, Derek struggles with facing the truth about his fate; Carlotta finds a place of solace; and Cotton begins to bond with her father, Jahil, over their shared pain.

Star's jealousy finally kicks in when Noah and Alex begin spending more time together, both inside and outside of the studio. Ayanna throws a curveball, moving the showcase date up - giving everyone only two weeks to prepare. Worried about Cotton, Carlotta and Jahil team up to get to the bottom of her recent change in behavior. Meanwhile, Maurice steps in to help Noah get back on his feet, when he notices him struggling to catch a break.