- A CSI is killed by professor Starling's gas attack in the crime lab, but the ensuing investigation proves that he had an accomplice in the attack.
- Eric and Horatio arrive at CSI HQ barely in time to prevent toxic gasses slaughtering their colleagues. Tragically, it's too late for Jesse, who hurt his head while falling. It's clearly the work of serial killer professor Bob Starling, but also destroyed most evidence against him. Several trails or followed, laid by him, causing confusion about his accomplice(s), notably the part played by ruthless opportunist Melissa Walls and campus janitor Keith Garwood. Starling's plan includes computer-controlled weapons and daring escape.—KGF Vissers
- The episode starts off from the previous season's finale, with gas being released at headquarters. Everyone is knocked unconscious, but they soon recover. However, Jesse hit his head when he fell and is now dead. Horatio and the rest of the team are determined to charge Starling for Jesse's murder. This will be difficult since the evidence in the MDPD was all contaminated by the gas.
The team tracks down one of Starling's PhD students in order to get her help, but she doesn't want to cooperate. The team tracks down the ink and paper from the "All Fall Down" letter to a printer owned by Starling. Meanwhile, they locate the tanks which were used to pump Halon gas into the air vents of headquarters, and the tanks are IDed as belonging to Dade University, where Starling worked.
Starling manages to free himself of the handcuffs, so Horatio tells Tripp that they should move Starling to a maximum security prison. As Walter examines Jesse's body, he notices that there is evidence from the display screen of a digital camera embedded in Jesse's forehead. He might have been trying to use a camera to download images relevant to the case.
The evidence suggests that Starling had outside help in order to release the gas, so the team goes to talk to his student again. They find her tied up in a chair, with a gun trained to shoot at her if her front door opens. She is eventually freed, and the gun is traced to one of the janitors at the university. He would have access to the gas tanks. The janitor claims that he had no hand in the gas attack. Calleigh notices that the bullet in the gun was filled with sand, not gunpowder. It couldn't have been fired even if the trigger on the gun was pulled.
There is a message in invisible ink on the "all fall down" note, which leads everyone to the beach. They find a clock in an abandoned cooler. Meanwhile, as Tripp escorts Starling to prison, the van they're in is suddenly attacked by gunfire. Tripp and the rest of the officers have to flee while Starling escapes. Walter and Benton finally figure out what's on the memory card which Jesse found so important: intimate pictures of Starling and his graduate student together. The student was his accomplice all along.
They bring her into custody and cut a deal with her, using her as bait in order to flush Starling out of hiding. The two meet while the student is wearing a wire. Once Starling confesses to the crimes, the pair are arrested for Jesse's murder.
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