While the NCIS team deals with Kate's death, Gibbs' determination to finally put an end to Ari's (guest star Rudolf Martin) reign of terror mounts, on the third season premiere of NCIS.

Though he has no concrete evidence that the sniper was Ari, Gibbs is haunted by the thought that the bullet that killed Kate was meant for him. As the team works to collect all the evidence they can in an effort to stop Ari, each of them is forced to confront their emotions about Kate's violent death. Meanwhile, the director of NCIS informs Gibbs he will be leaving to take on a new position and introduces him to his new boss, Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly), a woman with whom Gibbs has a sordid past.