During their investigation of a child abuse case, Clint surprises Reggie when he makes an off-the-cuff remark to her about his own childhood scars from his father. The case itself is also much more complicated than it appears on the surface; the victim's mother, Dora – a crack addict – is an unfit parent, but she insists it's her son's foster parents who are abusing him while the boy, Jeff, claims his injuries are self-inflicted. The investigation soon turns up frightening connections to a series of child pornography cases involving the foster parents. Meanwhile, Christmastime brings excited preparations by Reggie and Momma Love for Alison and Chris' Christmas-day visit just as it forces Clint to finally acknowledge his abuse before visiting his father for the holiday.

Reggie's long-time friend, Karen, visits with her mother and her daughter, Amy, a gymnast in training for the Olympics. The visit turns into an investigation after Reggie observes a practice session and suspects the coach of abuse, culminating in the suspicious death of one of Amy's teammates. Meanwhile, Foltrigg considers hiring a political consultant to help him in his quest for the governor's office, and Reggie finds herself in hot water with the IRS when she's arrested for owing backtaxes thanks to Gus' not reporting their divorce. Though her accountant, Arnie, is able to straighten out the immediate situation at hand, he reminds Reggie that her financial situation will only continue to get worse if she doesn't finally start getting some paying clients.