After five years stranded on a desert island, Oliver returns to his hometown of Starling City and vows to put his developed survival skills to use carrying out his father's last wishes to take out the men who dominate the city. First he must settle back into his life, only to discover that his old girlfriend hates him, his mother has married his father's business partner, and his younger sister is using drugs.

Laurel tries to prosecute Martin Somers, a drug smuggler who is on Oliver's list. and responsible for the death of her client's father. Meanwhile, Oliver tries to reconnect with his family while repelling their efforts to put him in charge of Queen Consolidated.

A master assassin arrives in town and kills one of the businessman that Oliver is targeting. While Oliver goes after him, he discovers that he must protect his stepfather Walter and needs Quentin's help. Meanwhile, Thea and Moira start to reconcile their differences and Tommy reveals to Oliver that he and Laurel were involved during his five-year absence.

When Oliver learns of an innocent man framed by one of the men on his list, he turns to Laurel for help getting a confession from the guilty party. Meanwhile, Diggle considers Oliver's job offer and Walter learns that Moira has made a secret withdrawal from the company funds.

Oliver sets himself up to be arrested for murder so that he can prove that he's not the Arrow vigilante. However, his plan has unexpected results when he's forced to lie to his family and friends... including Laurel, who he asks to serve as his attorney. Meanwhile, Walter discovers that Moira has been keeping secrets from him with deadly consequences.

Diggle convinces Oliver to go after bank robbers even though they're not on Robert Queen's list. However, Oliver soon discovers that they may be connected to his father after all. Meanwhile, Tommy asks Thea for dating advice and Moira feels the sting of Walter's departure and Oliver's cavalier attitude toward her.

A new vigilante in Starling City is going after mobster Frank Bertinelli. However, when the vigilante almost hits Moira, Oliver vows to put an end to the newcomer's reign of terror. Meanwhile, Tommy gets a rude surprise from his father.

Oliver takes Helena under his wing and trains her in how to be a vigilante that seeks justice rather than vengeance. Meanwhile, Tommy continues to have problems after his father cuts him off of his trust fund, and Walter realizes that there is still more to learn about Moira and her secret operations.

A mysterious archer is on the loose in Starling City, framing Oliver for murders he didn't commit. As Oliver tries to track the copy cat down with Quentin's help, he tries to juggle his responsibilities to his family when he tries to arrange a Christmas party to bring the Queens together during the holiday.

When Joanna's brother is killed in a mysterious fire, she asks Laurel for help. Laurel calls the Hood, unaware that Oliver is having a crisis of confidence after the Dark Archer defeated him. While Oliver decides whether to get involved, Laurel and Tommy have issues when Tommy suggests that he move in. Meanwhile, Thea tries to get Moira out of her depression due to Walter's disappearance.

An armored bank robbery puts Oliver on the trial of Ted Gaynor, a man on his father's list... and Diggle's former commanding officer. Meanwhile, Thea suspects that Malcolm and Moira are having an affair, and Malcolm tries to make amends with Tommy.

Starling City is overwhelmed by a flood of a new drug, Vertigo, and Thea is arrested after using it. Oliver sets out to seek down the drug's creator, The Count, only to be dosed with it himself.

Mobster Cyrus Vanch gets out of prison on a technicality and plans to take over the power vacuum in Starling City by taking down the biggest threat: The Hood. Meanwhile, Diggle confirms that Moira is involved with Robert's death, but Oliver refuses to accept his mother's activities. And on the island, Oliver meets a potential ally... if the man doesn't kill him first.

Oliver turns to Felicity for help when Moira unwittingly shoots her own son. As Oliver teeters on the verge of death, he remembers his time on the island when he teamed up with Slade Wilson to hijack a plane and escape.

A jewel thief known as Dodger targets rare gems in Starling City. Felicity convinces Oliver to go after the thief, and Oliver bugs McKenna's phone to get the information he needs to find the thief. Meanwhile, Thea runs up against a purse-snatcher and Moira asks a friend for help dealing with Malcolm.

When Moira hires the Triad to kill Malcolm, the Triad hires Deadshot to assist them. Oliver and Diggle soon get word of the assassination attempt and end up trying to save Malcolm, unaware of his connection to the Undertaking. Meanwhile, Laurel receives an unexpected visitor.

Helena returns to town to track down her father and kill him, and needs Oliver to help her. Meanwhile, Oliver tries to balance his personal and his vigilante lives, Thea grows closer to Roy, and Quentin has to decide whether to follow his wife's suspicions concerning their younger daughter.

A new vigilante, The Savior, is capturing and executing those who he believes are preying on the people of The Glades... and Roy is his next target. Meanwhile, Moira must take drastic steps when Malcolm learns who hired his would-be assassin, and Laurel tries to discover the truth about her sister's possible survival.

A young woman who dies after an apparent drug overdose of Vertigo made a call to Tommy just before she died, and Quentin believes that he had something to do with her death. Meanwhile,Oliver tries to confirm whether The Count is behind the resurgence of Vertigo in Starling City. Meanwhile, in flashbacks, Shado puts Oliver through an unusual training exercise.

When a hitman kills a couple that is going to testify against his employer, Laurel takes their young son in. She soon finds herself being stalked by the killer, and Oliver must choose whether to help her or Diggle, who is hunting down Deadshot. Meanwhile on the island, Oliver and Shado grow closer.

Diggle refuses to work with Oliver, forcing the vigilante to turn to Felicity when he needs to infiltrate a casino whose owner has information on Walter's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Tommy tells Laurel that Oliver still loves her, and in flashbacks Malcolm and Robert disagree on how to bring about The Undertaking.

As the Dark Archer, Malcolm eliminates the scientists who created the Markov Device and then ships it to Starling City to destroy The Glades. Meanwhile, Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity infiltrate Merlyn Global to learn of Malcolm's plans, and Laurel tries to resolve matters with Tommy. Five years earlier, Fyers tells his captives what his plan is for the missile launcher.

Oliver escapes imprisonment at Malcolm's hands and races to stop his plan to level The Grades. Meanwhile, Moira makes a startling announcement, Thea looks for Roy when panic sweeps the city, and Tommy learns the truth about his father.