Will Jessup arrives home, his pinky chopped off. He looks through the front window to watch his family, unseen. He goes into the backyard and goes into a shed. His wife Sally sees him.
Will goes to his workbench and pulls out a medical kit. He treats his pinky and takes oxy for pain.
Sally knocks. Will is surprised to see her.
Will sits patiently while Sally finishes wrapping his hand. She invites him in for breakfast. He declines and tells her she needs to get the kids and leave.
Three years ago, Will sits at the shed's work bench, trying to fix a clock radio. He gives up and tosses the clock hard against the wall in frustration. Marky opens the door and runs in and hugs his father. Sally comes in holding a younger Carly. Sally shakes Carly, who giggles, then yawns. Marky grabs Will by the hand and pulls him outside. They exit the shed and Will locks it. He and Marky run for the trampoline. Sally takes Carly into the house.
Will sits at the dining room table, which is covered with textbooks and test prep manuals for the FrontLine National Police Exam. He always wanted to be a cop, so he's studying for the exam. He collects movies about being a cop, particularly about going undercover. He explains to Sally that the exam he is taking will only qualify him for jobs at some police stations. Will hates studying for the test.
Months later, Will gets a phone call. He's been offered a job with the FBI. Doing undercover work.
Beth calls him and gives him info about the safe room and his assignment.
Ten years earlier, Will and Sally watch Will's brother Grant graduate from the Police Academy.
Will is the best man at Grant's wedding.
Will cooks hamburgers and hot dogs in his apartment complex’s courtyard. Sally, Grant and Grant’s pregnant wife, Christina sit at a wooden picnic table. Sally says she's ready to start trying to have a baby. Will is ecstatic and everyone celebrates.
Months later, the Jessups unload boxes into their new home. Sally is pregnant. Will claims the shed for his privacy.
Will gets a call. Grant has been killed in the line of duty. Organized crime members killed him.
The shed is now filled with boxes, sports equipment, gardening tools. Will sits at a work bench. He sips whiskey from a paper cup. He’s not crying any more, but his face is still puffy and red. He holds a picture of Grant and Christina at the beach and stares at it.
Nine years later, Will talks to his FBI boss, Beth. She tells him about his new safe room and he packs to go.
The safe room is a sealed, no windows. The walls are white board. There are tables and chairs, a cork board on one wall, and boxes filled with documents. Will unpacks his belongings. He vows to find Grant's murderer, no matter what it takes. He pins the name "Mr. Untouchable” to the cork board. Beth tells him to start with a night club called Rave On.
Will starts by surveilling the club. He identifies 10 members of the Zodiac, the council that runs The Organization. He realizes he has to get inside the club to do his job.
Will walks around the safe room, grabbing extraneous papers and putting them in the storage box. He wipes the whiteboards clean. The cork board is left with the names, zodiac titles and photos of the ten leaders of the Organization. The board is labeled “The Organization.” The top spot is left open and labeled “Mr. Untouchable.” At the end of the board are two open spots with question marks, one labeled “Gemini,” the other “Pisces.” He decides his undercover name is Walt Jackson. Beth told him he has to have stories, he decides to use the one about spring break with the coke and the sorority girls who were really prostitutes. I’ll move the setting to Club Hula Hula. Bet got him fake documents: birth certificate, school records, driver’s license, passport, a job history. He decides his criminal background is in grand theft.
Will sits in his car down the street from Rave On. He watches the cops parked outside the club. The cops are on the payroll, protecting Rave On. The cops are bribed by prostitutes.
Will enters Rave On for the first time, pretending to be a standard patron. He meets the bartender, Spyder. He dances, looks around, but doesn't learn anything. Later, in the bathroom he discovers some guys doing coke. They mention they got it from Spyder.
Will buys coke from his weed guy, to learn the ins and outs. He returns to the safe room and watches how-to videos about drugs. He practices, consuming coke and weed as he goes.
A week later, Rave On is relatively empty this early in the night. Will takes a shot as Spyder pours him another. Will has come into some money and is celebrating. Will tells Spyder he's looking for something stronger than alcohol or weed. Spyder asks if he's a cop and he says no. Spyder asks for his ID and he shows him the Walt Jackson ID. Spyder picks up the cash from the bar and heads towards the back of the bar. Walt grins as he follows. Walt heads towards the door that says “Management Only,” but Spyder heads to a different door on the other side of the DJ booth. He waves Walt over.
Walt hurries to catch up with Spyder when he bumps into an attractive blonde woman, a Real Housewives-type, Grammercy. He knocks the drink out of her hand.
Walt is effusive in his apologies. He flirts with her and offers to buy her two drinks. Spyder tells Grammercy that it's business time and she goes away, impressed. She tells Walt to find her later. Spyder warns Walt about her and pulls him into the back room.
Walt follows Spyder into the back room. It’s mostly empty, other than an open safe filled with drugs and money, a table in the middle of the room, two armed guards, one on either side of the room, and a man, Chef seated at the table. Spyder tells Chef to get Walt an ounce. Spyder tosses Walt’s ID on the table. Chef memorizes it and tosses it back on the table in Walt’s direction. Walt picks up his ID. Spyder puts the money on the table. Chef grins. He picks up the cash and walks to the safe. He puts the money inside and comes back to the table with a plate of cocaine and a scale. Chef scoops a small amount of coke onto a cloudy mirror. He chops it up into several lines. He holds up a short straw, aiming it at Walt. Chef tells him to test his merchandise. Walt says no. Chef thinks he's a cop. Walt does the lines. Walt says it's strong stuff and they laugh at him. Chef hands him an ounce baggie of coke, tied up with a twist tie.
Later, Walt is high. He dances. He flirts. He sees Grammercy across the room and gets excited. He wades through the mass of dancing bodies in her direction.
But he can’t find her. He looks around, almost frantic. She finds him. She's impressed that he was doing business in the back room. They flirt. He buys her drinks. She goes to the restroom. Spyder warns him that Grammercy dates Scorpio. Walt brushes him off. She returns and they dance. They get ready to leave and she asks if he's married. He says he isn't. She says she doesn't care anyway. They kiss, then leave.
Walt pulls his car up to his undercover house. Beth bought it for his mission.
Later, Walt and Grammercy lie naked in bed, under the sheets. Grammercy picks up the record album and snorts a line of coke. She hands it to Walt and he does the same. He asks who Scorpio is. She says she used to date him. She takes the album back and does another line. She says Scorpio's an asshole that thinks she belongs to him. She does another line. He asks if Scorpio is into organized crime. She asks if he's a cop. He says he's not. He takes the album and does another line. She watches him closely. She tells him they're called The Organization.
6 months later, Will returns to his family. Sally is shocked to see him.
Walt sits on the couch. Sally sits far away in a chair. Walt asks where the kids are. They're at her mom's. He wanted to see them, but she didn't know, she hasn't heard from him in a month. Sally starts crying. She thought he was dead. He says he's fine, but she's not sure. She says the kids miss him. He asks if she misses him. She doesn't know. He says the case is important, and only he can handle it at this point. She doesn't know anything about his life, he says he can't tell her anything. She goes to bed. He leaves.
Beth checks in with Walt, who says things are going slow. But he has an idea.
At Rave On, Walt asks Spyder about buying coke. In the back room, Walt waves hello to Chef. Walt looks to up his buy. Spyder says he can only get an 8 ball. Walt wants more, but Spyder doesn't trust him. Walt pushes for more, but Spyder thinks he has bad judgement because he's messing around with Grammercy. Walt takes the 8 ball. Spyder says they should take a break after that. Walt reluctantly agrees.
Walt sits in his car, down the block from Rave On. The normal police presence outside the club isn’t there. Walt follows Abby the prostitute into a motel room.
Walt sits on one of the twin beds while Abby does a striptease. She asks if he's a cop. He says no. He pays $300 and they have sex.
Walt and Abby put their clothes back on. Walt pulls out a pair of handcuffs and puts them on Abby. She's under arrest for prostitution. He gives her two choice, arrest or get him an introduction to a drug dealer connected to the Organization, but not Spyder. She calls a guy.
Walt sits next to Abby on the bed. Someone knocks on the door. Walt pulls out his pistol. Walt tells her to send them away if it isn't her guy. It's her guy, Creech. Walt slaps the cuff on his wrist and points the gun to Creech’s head. Walt tells Creech he has to do him a favor.
Walt stands at the bar. He takes a shot of Jameson. Spyder refills it and walks away. Creech walks into the bar and makes a beeline towards Spyder. Walt watches them closely. They exchange a few words. The conversation grows heated. Walt grabs the bottle of Jameson. Creech grabs Spyder by the shirt and pulls out a gun. He points it at Spyder. Walt smashes the bottle against Creech’s head. Creech goes down hard, dropping the gun. Security guards rush and grab Creech. They haul him towards the front door and toss him outside. Walt picks up Creech’s gun and hands it to Spyder. Spyder says he may have been wrong about Walt. Walt asks for more drugs again. Spyder says he can get Walt an introduction.
Walt stands in the kitchen, drinking Jameson from a tumbler. The doorbell rings. Walt finishes the tumbler and walks to the front door. He opens the door to reveal Grammercy. He kisses her. She kisses back, but she’s wary. He leads her back into the kitchen. He pours himself more whiskey and takes a sip. He asks her to get him an introduction to the Organization. Grammercy thinks he's been playing her since the beginning. He reiterates that he's not a cop. She doesn't believe him. She says she'll do it on one condition, after it’s done, they’re through. She doesn’t want anything to do with him. He agrees.
Walt wakes up, hung over and naked. Abby walks in, drinking coffee. He tosses her money and tells her to leave. He looks around the house, which is a total mess from last night’s partying. He decides to clean himself up. He gets rid of the alcohol and drugs. Grammercy texts him to meet her at Rave On.
Walt meets outside of Rave On. They put a bag over his head and toss him in the trunk of a Cadillac. The Cadillac arrives at a large ranch-style house in the forest outside of town. It parks and the gangsters retrieve Walt from the trunk. They walk him to a barn beside the house and take him inside.
The gangsters walk Walt into the barn, which isn’t being used for livestock or farming. Instead, the super-clean room is set up as a meeting space, with a large table set up in the middle of the room. Seated around the long side of the table and the ends are 11 men in business suits. Each wears a mask themed with one of the signs of the Zodiac. They are Leo, Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Taurus, Scorpio, Aries, Virgo, Libra, Cancer, and Gemini. The Gangsters put Walt in a chair facing the others. They pull the bag from his head and show him their guns.
Scorpio says Walt is giving him cop vibes. He says he's not and tells a story of a cop abusing his mother. It's not enough and they force him to smoke meth to prove he's not a cop.
Each of the Zodiac members ask him a question. If they like his answers, they’ll move forward. If they don’t, they'll kill him. Leo asks if he's ever killed anyone? Walt says no, but he could if needed to. Aquarius asks where he's from and where he's lived. Walt says he was born in Aberdeen and grew up in Seattle. Capricorn asks if he has played sports or knows any sports really well. Walt says he played a little bit of college football, but quit before any games were played. He was too slow and the players were running circles around him. He only knows a little about sports betting. Sagittarius asks if he's ever been arrested? Walt says no, he never got caught. He used to work with my cousin, lifting shit from construction sites. Taurus asks what Walt is there to buy. Walt says a brick of cocaine. He has customers lined up from Seattle to Portland. Scorpio asks if he's ever moved guns. Walt says a little bit. He can handle them well. Aries asks how Walt makes money now? He says he doesn't make enough, that's why he's there. He does small jobs here and there through guys he met working with his cousin. He's smart with my money, so it lasts. Aries asks him to give them the names of the guys he works with. Walt refuses to give anybody up. Virgo asks if he knows much about computers, tech, the Internet? He knows a little. He's been studying crypto, which is a scam, a good way to rip off dumb guys with too much money. Cancer asks if he knows anything about politics and campaigns. He says only what he reads in the news.
They’re going to investigate, check references, do their due diligence. If they like what they find, they’ll be in touch. The gangsters put the bag over Walt’s head again and drag him out of the room.
Walt is passed out at the safe room, recovering from a bender. Scorpio calls and he wakes up. He tells Walt to meet him at Rave On that night.
Taurus and Scorpio lead Walt through the club towards the door marked “Management Only.” They go through and the door closes and locks behind them. They head down a set of stairs into the basement. Before them is a long hallway, with numerous doors on either side. Walt follows Taurus and Scorpio into the first room on the right, a meeting room. They all sit at the table. Taurus says Walt passed. They thoroughly vet anyone they consider working with. Walt tries to stifle his excitement. Now they need to see him in action, so they're sending him on a couple of gigs. First, he's going to meet with one of their suppliers and see if you can get a better deal. Walt nods, then walks out the door. Scorpio doesn't trust Walt. Taurus says he’s definitely not a cop. They had their inside guys check him out. Not a cop, not an informant, arrest record consistent with what he told them.
Walt enters Franco's Eatery with two gangsters, Vinny and Marlo. Walt says Franco's expecting them and tips the hostess a $100. She leads them to the back office area. She leaves then. Walt knocks on the door with “Franco Christopher” on the nameplate. Franco opens the door. Walt nods to Vinny and Marlo and they step aside. Walt goes into the office and Franco shuts the door behind them. Walt sits down. Franco pours two glasses of whiskey. He gives one to Walt, then sits behind the desk. Walt tells Franco he's charging them too much. Franco gets angry. Walt pulls out a piece of paper. He hands it to Franco. Walt shows him the numbers: how much his Mexican supplier charged Franco, how much Franco charged the Italians, the Japanese and the Canadians, and how much he charged the Organization. Walt hasn't shown the numbers to Mr. Untouchable yet, but will if Franco doesn't change the price and pay back the excess charges. Franco doesn't have that much money on hand. Walt gives him two hours to get it.
Taurus drives a Lexus. Scorpio rides shotgun. Walt rides in the back with Aries. They're headed to Sunday dinner at Mr. Untouchable's house, which is a big deal. Scorpio says it's too soon for Walt to get an invite. Aries takes the bag and tries to put it on Walt’s head. Walt leans away. Taurus says nobody gets to see where Untouchable lives until they are a Zodiac. He has to put the bag on or get dropped off right away. Walt looks at the passing landscape, which is nothing but forest for miles in every direction. It’s dark out. Taurus pulls the car over to the side of the road. There are no other cars on the dark road. Walt takes the black bag from Aries and puts it over his own head. Taurus pulls back onto the road and drives on. Taurus’ Lexus pulls onto Mr. Untouchable’s property. Everyone gets out and heads inside.
The butler leads the men inside. Taurus, Scorpio and Aries put on their masks. Walt asks what happened to Pisces. Aries says they don't talk about that. The four men enter the dining room. Mr. Untouchable and the other Zodiac members await them, masks on. The new arrivals sit down. The butler brings them wine. Expensive seafood covers the table: lobster, shrimp, scallops, king crab. The new guys fill their plates. Later, Mr. Untouchable is finished and puts his napkin on his plate. The butler pours him more wine and removes his plate. Mr. Untouchable tells them to repeat the rules. 1. The first rule is to always be thinking of how to earn more money. Make money off of everyone; off of every angle. 2. Total accountability. You are in charge of everything that happens on your watch. 3. Never give anybody up. For any reason. You got a problem with someone, bring it to Gemini. 4. The man’s beef is always your beef. 5. Always give more than expected. 6. Give respect to everyone in the Zodiac. Never disrespect them publicly. 7. No one gives it to you, you have to take it. 8. Once that bullet leaves the gun, you never talk about it again. 9. Leaving bodies in the street is bad for business. 10. Give back to the community, that way, they’ll take your side over the police. 11. Lastly, always answer the phone when Mr. Untouchable calls.
Taurus sits in the meeting room, alone with Walt. Walt will meet with each of the Zodiac, except those in charge of Political, Digital and Logistics, which they don't think Walt has aptitude for.
Walt walks outside and meets Scorpio. They get in Scorpio's car. Scorpio expresses his doubts about Walt. Scorpio parks the car. Walt grabs two large black bags and carries them inside.
The pawn shop is empty except for the proprietor, Luke. Walt moves in his direction. Luke comes from behind the cash register. Walt says the Organization sent him. He holds up the bags. Luke holds up a finger. Walt waits where he is. Luke locks the front door and flips the sign from Open to Closed. Luke crosses the store, past the register and into the back room. Walt follow. Luke takes a seat in a big chair behind a desk. Walt puts the guns on the desk. Then he takes a seat. Luke opens the bag. He pulls out an AR-15 and examines it. He likes what he sees. He examines a few more from each bag. Luke turns his chair around and opens a safe. He pulls out a black satchel and closes the safe. He puts the bag on the desk in front of Walt. Luke takes the guns and stores them in a closet. Walt opens the bag. It’s filled with cash. He starts counting it. Luke gets upset. Luke pulls out a pistol and sets it on the desk in front of him. Walt stops counting and looks at the gun. Walt zips up the bag and walks towards the door. He leaves and Luke re-opens the store.
Walt rushes back to the car and gets in. Walt smiles as he shows Scorpio the bag. Scorpio asks if Walt counted the money. He says no. Scorpio gets upset. He goes inside and kills Luke. He comes back carrying the guns.
Leo stands outside a small bodega. Through the front window, Walt can be seen slamming a baseball bat down on the counter. The frightened clerk cowers away from him. Walt grabs the clerk by the shirt and threatens him with the bat. The clerk opens the register and starts putting the cash into a plastic bag.
Capricorn drives Walt to a modest suburban home. The guy inside, Fairfield, owes the Organization 100k, plus interest. Capricorn tells Walt has to pay it all tonight or else. Walt hops out of the car and goes inside. Walt comes back out of the house, carrying a handful of cash. He gets in the car. Capricorn looks at the cash. Walt’s hands and some of the cash have been splashed with blood. Walt has $50k and said Fairfield will have the rest on Friday.
Walt and Sagittarius stand outside the shipyard fence. They hide in the shadows along with several gangsters. All are dressed in dark clothes and wear ski masks. The masks are currently flipped up, showing their faces. Sagittarius asks Walt where he got the tip from, but he refuses to reveal his source. They're here to steal $1.2 million in bearer bonds. Walt cuts a hole in the fence and slips through. Sagittarius waits. Walt reappears, carrying a satchel. He slips through the fence and runs back to the car. Walt gets in. He opens the satchel and pulls out the bearer bonds. He fans them for Sagittarius. Both men laugh.
Walt rides with Taurus. They drive through the University of Washington campus. They stop outside Aubrey’s duplex. Taurus says nobody likes Scorpio. He’s a big earner, but nobody likes him personally. He says the others like Walt. Walt asks what happened to Pisces. Taurus says he doesn't really want to know.
Walt enters Rave On and greets Spyder and Taurus at the bar. They do a shot to celebrate Walt, who passed thr Organization's tests and is officially a rank-and-file member of the Organization.
Taurus takes Walt on a tour of the basement.
Taurus leads Walt down the basement hallway past the meeting room he’s visited before. The Organization’s activities run out of the basement. Leadership isn’t stationed here, but everything else is. Gemini never comes here. Also the zodiac things aren’t so much names as they are positions. Nobody calls him Gemini. Walt asks what he should call him. Taurus said Walt should only directly address Gemini when he is addressed. Taurus says nobody wears the masks outside Mr. Untouchable’s house. And he never takes his off when anyone’s around.
Taurus walks down the hallway and motions towards each door as he describes it. The first two doors lead to meeting rooms. Next is the vault that holds money and all sorts of valuables. Across the hall is an armory with every kind of modern weapon possible. The next two doors lead to secret exits, so people can come and go without going through the club. Taurus says Walt will get a swipe card that will let him access some of the doors, the next door leads to a set of cells. Across that is an interrogation room. The last door on the right leads to a large garage, with several cars and a van inside. The last door leads reveals Chef's lab, with lots of drugs.
Taurus drives. Walt rides shotgun. Taurus tells him that Mr. Untouchable bribes the community so they stay on his side,
Walt’s drives Aries and two gangsters. Aries hands Walt a pistol, he's to kill a man named Travis for failing to pay what he owes. Taurus says he can take the gangsters, but Walt defers.
Travis lives in a small house in a crowded neighborhood. Walt pulls up to the front of the house and parks. He gets out and knocks on the front door. Walt shows him the gun and they go inside.
Walt motions for Travis to sit down. Walt remains standing, casually pointing the gun at Travis. Travis tries to talk Walt out of it, but Walt says he has no choice. The front door opens, Vinnie steps through the door. Marlo follows. Walt is startled and fires his gun. It hits Travis in the neck, but doesn't kill him. Vinnie and Marlo say Walt has to finish Travis off, he's suffering. Walt does it and has a panic attack as they leave.
Mr. Untouchable, the Zodiac members, and Walt sit around the table for Sunday dinner. They’re mostly done eating, but the wine flows freely. Untouchable tells him he's been doing good work: made $1.2 million, eliminated troublesome people. Untouchable tells him big earners get elevated to Zodiac status and the Pisces position, which deals with physical enforcement, is open. Untouchable says they aren’t ready to make an offer yet, but that day is approaching. He says that guys who wrong the organization are tortured, they cut off fingers, shoot them, then they track down every co-conspirator, no matter big nor small, every family member, every close friend. And they are all killed.s.
Walt drinks at the bar with Spyder. Grammercy joins them. She tries to be friendly, but Walt is cold. She gets angry and tells him Scorpio is going to kill him.
Sally browses a small boutique. She finds a blouse she likes. She goes to buy it, but her card is declined. Se leaves and sees Will drive by. Se gets into her car and follows him.
Will pulls into the driveway. Sally stops and watches him. She puts the car into park and waits. He comes back out and leaves. She sneaks inside and finds drugs and used condoms.
Sally opens her laptop and loads her bank’s website. She discovers that Will has been spending her money, to the tune of many thousands of dollars. She finds a picture on the Rave On website of Will being overly familiar with Grammercy.
Sally walks out the back door carrying bolt cutters. She walks to the shed and cuts the lock off. She opens the door and goes inside. She looks through Will's things. She discovers Beth died man years ago. She finds he failed the police exam and was caught cheating on the re-test. She takes those docs and letters of recommendation for the Police Academy. She puts them in an envelope and addresses it to the Organization.
Walt stands in the kitchen, sipping from a beer. Sally arrives and he lets her in, even though he never told her about the house. She asks if Will has anything to say for himself. He shrugs. She pounds her fists on his chest. He grabs her by the wrists and tries to pull her close. She pulls away and moves further away. She calls him a liar. He says he's undercover. She complains about how long it has been. She says she knows about the other women. She tells him she knows he's spending her money. She says she knows he's not a cop. She says they're getting a divorce and he'll never see the kids again. She says if she ever sees him again, she’ll kill him herself. She leaves.
Spyder finds Sally's envelope in the mail. He gives it to Scorpio.
Aries, Taurus and Scorpio kidnap Walt.
Walt is tied to a chair with a black bag over his head. He’s surrounded by Taurus, Scorpio, Aries, Libra, Vinnie, and Marlo. Libra pulls the black bag from his head. They demand he tell them the names of his relatives, close friends, connections. He refuses. Scorpio punches him in the mouth. He starts bleeding. The others leave and Scorpio cuts off his pinky. Walt gives up his wife's name.
Will sits alone in the dark. His head hangs down and his breathing is heavy. Scorpio returns and turns on the light. Will is bruised, bloodied and wet with tears and sweat. Scorpio grins and taunts Will. Will doesn't respond. Will doesn’t stir. Scorpio unties him. He slaps Will on the cheeks, trying to rouse him. Will launches himself from the chair, head-butting Scorpio and knocking him to the ground. Scorpio reaches for the gun in his pocket. Will brings his foot down hard on Scorpio’s gun hand. The bones crunch, Scorpio screams. Will picks up the gun and holds it to Scorpio’s head, telling him not follow. Will kicks Scorpio in the face, knocking him unconscious. Will moves to the door. He opens it and peeks into the hall. It’s quiet. He slips into the hallway and makes his way to the closest exit. He goes trough the door and runs.
Walt drives toward a condo building and stops down the block. He sees Aries, Vinnie, and Marlo standing outside. The safe room is compromised.
He backs the car up and turns around.
Walt drives down the block towards his house. He sees Taurus’ car and stops. Scorpio, Leo and Taurus kidnap Walt again.
Taurus drives down a dirt road and stops before a swampy area. He puts the car in park and gets out. Scorpio and Leo get out. Leo opens the trunk and Taurus and Scorpio pull Walt out. They walk Walt towards the swamp and makes him walk into the water. Scorpio follows, gun in hand. Walt tries to plead his case, but Scorpio shoots him. He shoots Walt two more times and the gangsters go to get something to eat.
Abby is blown up. Creech is gunned down. Spyder is shot. Grammercy is killed.
Taurus and Scorpio visit the Jessup home, but Sally and the kids are long gone. Scorpio burns Will's driver's license.