At the Abbott cabin, the group of young adults discussed whether they were all committed to telling the same story about how Austin had died. Courtney pointedly stated that some of them had more to lose than others, and Fen worried that he'd go back to prison if he was charged as an accessory to murder. Noah insisted that they couldn't let Summer take the blame and that they had to get their stories straight, and he asked if everyone was in. Summer declared that she couldn't do it, since she had to have been the one who'd killed Austin. Noah contended that Summer couldn't have put Austin in the wardrobe by herself, so someone else had been involved.

Kevin contemplated who had wanted Austin dead, and Fen surmised that the group suspected him because he'd spiked the punch, but he swore he'd barely known Austin. Fen questioned how well Mariah had really known Austin, since they'd spent late nights working together in a bar, and he grumbled that Summer had only known her husband for about five minutes before she'd married him. Courtney asked Summer if Austin had been acting differently lately, but Summer insisted that they'd loved one another, and Austin had always been kind and thoughtful. Kevin thought they should consider the killer's motive, since they were "putting [their] asses on the line" to help someone get away with murder.

Mariah confronted Abby privately and accused her of being the motive. Mariah disclosed that she'd seen Abby with her tongue down Austin's throat the prior night, but Abby chalked it up to a hallucination from the drugged punch. Mariah noted that Abby wasn't denying it, and Abby contended that no one could be held accountable for their actions under the circumstances. Abby pointed out that Mariah had kissed Austin, too, and Mariah recalled that her buss with Austin had really bugged Abby. Mariah guessed it hadn't been the first time Austin and Abby had locked lips, and she recalled that Austin hadn't seemed to mind kissing Abby at all.

Abby remarked that Mariah had been reading too much fan fiction, but Mariah theorized that Abby had invited everyone there so she and Austin could be together under his wife's nose. Mariah said it hadn't made sense why Abby had thrown a party, and she thought Abby wasn't the kind of girl to go without a man -- even if it meant being with a married one. Abby protested, but Mariah planned to ask around to find out if anyone else had seen Abby and Austin making out. Mariah started to walk away, but Abby grabbed her arm to stop her.

Abby reluctantly admitted that it was all true, and Mariah quipped that Abby put the "ho" in "home-wrecker." Mariah blasted Abby for pretending to comfort Summer, and Abby defended that she truly had compassion for her niece, but Mariah thought Summer would have a different word for it. Abby admonished Mariah for getting moralistic after everything Mariah had done to Abby and Sharon, and she warned that spilling the truth would give Summer the perfect motive for killing Austin because he'd been cheating on her. Mariah retorted that it would have been the perfect motive for Abby if Austin had refused to leave Summer.

Kevin wondered who had to gain from Austin's death, and Fen commented that the simplest explanation was usually right. Kevin contended that they couldn't ignore the facts, and the simplest explanation would be that the killer had been the same guy who'd drugged the punch. Summer begged them to stop bickering, and Noah recognized that they were all scared and mad, but they needed to keep their heads together. Courtney reported that phone service had been restored and that plows were clearing the roads, so they had to be proactive and take control. Noah cautioned that none of them could be seen fighting, and Courtney asked if they were all on the same page.

Courtney tried to communicate with Paul over the phone, but the line went dead before she could tell him about Austin's death. She revealed that a squad car would be there soon, and Noah said they had to get their stories straight. Courtney said forensics would be involved, so they had to do more than just be logical and consistent in their accounts. Courtney instructed everyone to volunteer nothing and to just answer the questions the police asked, and Noah inquired whether there was a ladder on the property. Abby divulged that there was one in the garage, and Noah suggested that he say he and Austin had gone to fetch it, so no one else had to say anything about what had happened.

Noah said the story was clean and simple, and Courtney thought there was little room to mix up details if Noah had allegedly been the only one out with Austin. Kevin noted that the most convincing lie contained some truth, and Courtney realized that partying could work in their favor, since it would make sense that details were fuzzy. Fen stared at the bookend, and he headed out to bury it and to set the ladder in place.

Summer tearfully asked how she was supposed to hold it together, but Courtney said Summer didn't have to hide the pain of losing her husband. Summer committed to the plan, and Courtney urged everyone to think about how they'd respond when the police asked when they'd last seen Austin alive. Abby flashed back to praising Austin at Crimson Lights for being the perfect husband by creating an early Christmas for Summer when he'd thought they might not be together, and she'd asked if he had a brother. Austin had responded that Abby deserved someone who treated her well. An obviously shaken Fen returned, and he reported that Austin's body was gone.

At the police station, Michael handed Lauren some coffee and informed her he hadn't been able to get in touch with Fen, but he was sure that reception was spotty at the cabin. Michael added that at least Fen was safe with Kevin, and Lauren got up to get the latest update from Paul, but Michael told her there had been nothing new to report. Lauren wailed that Jill had been a passenger in a plane crash, and Michael explained that rescuers had an approximate location of the crash from the emergency transmitter, but the weather was still too bad to send a helicopter to search. His voice trailed off, and Lauren stressed that the search would be for survivors.

Lauren observed that Michael looked exhausted, and she urged him to call his doctor, but he said he was just tired after a long night. Lauren started to call the doctor herself, and Michael admitted that he'd missed a radiation treatment because she'd needed him. She blasted him for having a cavalier attitude about his treatment, but she began to sob, and she conceded that she had needed him. She rushed into his arms and whimpered that she was scared, but she thought she should be the one taking care of him. Michael said they had to take care of one another.

Michael revealed that the weather service had predicted a break in the storm, so a search helicopter was being prepped to go out as soon as it was safe. He added that the plane had gone down in an isolated area, but the passengers were smart people who knew their best chance was to stay where they were. Lauren apologized for taking her frustration out on him, but he understood she was worried about her sister, and he recalled that Katherine had always called Jill a "tough broad." Michael said they couldn't drive themselves crazy by wondering why the crash had happened, and he suggested they pray and hope for the best, but they had to be prepared for the worst.

At the plane crash site, the survivors slept under snow-covered blankets. Jill suddenly yelled out Colin's name, and he assured her he was right there. She complained about the cold, but he was happy to settle for being alive. Cane told Lily everything was okay, and she was disappointed the crash hadn't been a dream. Lily started to get up, but Cane cautioned that she could have internal bleeding, and he advised her to stay still. Lily called out for her dad, and Neil looked on as Devon tried to awaken Hilary. Devon panicked when Hilary didn't respond.

Devon said he couldn't tell if Hilary was breathing, but he was relieved when she stirred, and he told her to stay with him. Lily stepped over to help, and he explained that Hilary had lost a lot of blood, so he needed Lily to put pressure on the wound on Hilary's leg. Devon swore that he couldn't lose Hilary, no matter what Lily thought about their relationship, and Lily indicated that she understood. Cane approached Neil and admitted that he should have told Neil once he'd found out what had been going on, and he had no excuse for his silence. Neil coldly told him to save his confession for a priest, and Cane acknowledged that what Devon and Hilary had done had been wrong, but the couple hadn't wanted to hurt Neil.

Neil couldn't believe that Cane was defending Devon and Hilary, but Cane contended that they loved one another and that they both loved Neil, and Hilary didn't deserve to die. Devon thought they needed to face the reality that they were on their own, but Jill believed help would be there as soon as the authorities figured out where they were. Colin pointed out that he hadn't seen a search plane, and Devon incredulously asked if they expected to just wait it out. Jill argued that they couldn't march out blindly, and Devon offered to go on his own.

Jill ranted that they were in the middle of nowhere, so Devon couldn't trudge off in his designer loafers. Devon asked for the group's support, and Cane volunteered to look for supplies and warm clothes. Neil suggested they put it to a vote, but Devon rattled off reasons why it made the most sense for him to go rather than anyone else. Jill huffed that it made no sense at all, and she thought Devon was determined to go off on his own as penance for what he'd done, but she believed it would be a suicide mission. Jill added that Devon didn't even know what direction to go in, but Colin announced he'd found a map.

Colin guessed where their location was on the map, and he thought that a road would be about eight to ten miles away if Devon headed in the right direction. Devon swore he'd be fine, and Jill hugged him and told him to be careful. She added that there would be no shame in heading back, but Devon replied that there was too much at stake. Colin told Devon to keep the hill to his left, and Cane handed Devon all the food he'd been able to find. Lily embraced Devon and ordered him not to do anything stupid like die, and he asked her to take care of Hilary. Devon walked over to Neil, and they locked eyes.

Devon pledged to spend the rest of his life making up for betraying Neil, and he crouched down next to Hilary. Devon whispered that he loved her and that they'd get through it, and he swore he'd find help to get her to a warm hospital. She weakly said, "Promise me you'll come back." Devon promised, and he gently kissed her and turned to get the map. Colin realized it was gone, and Devon looked around and proclaimed that Neil was gone, too.

At the Underground collapse scene, Nick yelled for his mom and dad, and he and Dylan made their way through the piles of debris. Dylan was concerned that the building was too unstable, and he thought the rescue crew needed to put reinforcements in before they proceeded. Nick maintained that he had to find his parents, but Dylan warned that they'd be putting lives at risk if they kept digging. There was a crash as more debris toppled over, and Dylan insisted that they let the search and rescue team do their job.

Phyllis sobbed that Jack had to hold on, and she begged him to let her get him through it. He replied that it wouldn't be the first time, since she'd been there for him when he'd gotten clean and sober. She commented that a building collapse was nothing after that, and Jack began to cough. Victor told Jack to hang in there, and Nikki wondered why it was taking such a long time for help to arrive. Meanwhile, Dylan begged Nick to stop digging, but Nick was worried about the remaining survivors running out of air. Dylan conceded that he wanted to get to them as much as Nick did, but he didn't want to risk hurting anyone in the process.

Phyllis screamed frantically for help, but Victor reminded her that there was a limited amount of air, and he ordered her to keep quiet so he didn't have to perform more CPR. Phyllis told Jack that she'd thought he'd left the club, but he replied that he'd returned because he'd been worried about her. Jack said he was sorry he'd hurt her, and she jokingly asked which time. Jack explained that he'd tried to protect Phyllis since she'd returned, but he'd done exactly the opposite by going through with a stupid plan to make her have an irrational outburst. He admitted he had been wrong, and Phyllis inquired whether he believed she wasn't crazy. Victor wondered what else Jack had to say.

Victor mentioned that Jack had been talking about Adam earlier, but Jack couldn't remember why. Victor wondered if Jack wasn't telling him something about Adam's death, and Jack started to say something about Adam, but they suddenly heard a noise. A rescue worker assured them the crew would get them out one at a time, and Nikki and Phyllis were successfully extracted. Victor insisted that Jack make his way out next, but Jack refused to spend the rest of his life hearing about how Victor had let him go first. The men argued, and the debris caved in.

At Crimson Lights, Sharon approached Avery and gently reached out to wake her up, and Avery blurted out Joe's name. Avery seemed startled to see Sharon, who reiterated that the officers had told them to go home to get some rest. Sharon mentioned that Avery had been asleep for a few hours, and she remarked that Avery had been having quite the dream. Avery thanked Sharon for making coffee, and Sharon explained that she liked feeling like she was doing something useful. Avery noted the nasty cut on Sharon's head, but Sharon swore it wasn't as bad as it looked.

Avery asked what Sharon had meant when she'd referred to a dream, but Dylan and Nick entered the coffeehouse, and Avery raced over to them. Dylan revealed that it had gotten too dangerous to keep digging, and Nikki and Victor were probably still trapped. Nick asked Sharon where Faith was, and Sharon said the girl was with a sitter. Nick inquired about Sharon's head injury, and Dylan intervened and started to take responsibility for the accident, but Sharon told the truth about skidding off the road. Nick chided her for not considering how dangerous it had been to risk their daughter's life, but Dylan demanded that Nick let Sharon talk instead of jumping down her throat.

Sharon explained that they'd lost power at the house and that they'd been running out of firewood, so she'd decided to take a scared Faith to ride out the storm at the Athletic Club. Sharon mentioned that she'd called Nick, and she asked if he'd gotten her message, but Nick sternly stated that it had been a matter of judgment. Dylan testily suggested that Nick spend his time putting snow tires on Sharon's car instead of finding ways to take Faith from her, and Nick asked why Dylan was involved in the situation. Dylan recounted that he had seen Sharon's stranded car and had gone to check on her, and she'd been about to go back for the car because she'd been terrified that Nick would find out.

Dylan said he understood why Sharon had felt that way based on how Nick was reacting, and he added that he'd intended to say that he'd been driving the car because she'd been upset and afraid. A shocked Avery asked if Dylan would have lied, and he confirmed that he would have after what Nick had done to Sharon. Sharon said she hadn't been able to lie or put Dylan in a bad position, and Nick asked if she'd really thought he'd use the accident as a reason to keep Faith from her. Sharon pointed out that she was at Nick's mercy, since he got to decide if or when she saw her daughter, and she was constantly walking on eggshells, afraid that she'd lose the privilege. Nick said he didn't want either of them to live that way, and he assured Sharon that she'd done nothing wrong.

Nick explained that he was exhausted from trying to dig for his parents, and he didn't know if they were alive. He felt terrible that he'd made Sharon question herself, and he and Dylan rushed over to Nikki and Phyllis when rescue workers escorted them in. Sharon told Avery that she was sorry Dylan had been caught up in her mess, and she asked Avery to thank him for her. Nikki told Nick that she was fine, and Phyllis reported that Jack's heart had stopped, but thanks to Victor, he had been stable when help had arrived. Nick was stunned to hear that Victor had performed CPR to save Jack's life.

Avery initiated a conversation with Dylan about what had happened with Sharon, but he wanted to postpone talking about it until they knew everyone was safe. He delivered hot drinks to Nikki and Phyllis, and he answered a call from Paul. The coffeehouse grew silent as he asked how bad it was, and he told Paul to keep him posted. Dylan solemnly reported that there had been another collapse at the Underground.

Nick asked if the rescue team had been hurt, and Dylan shook his head. Nick said it had just been a building, and with hope in his voice, he asked if they'd gotten everyone out, but Dylan remained silent. Nikki's eyes widened as she uttered Victor's name, and Phyllis demanded to know where Jack was. Dylan revealed that both men were still trapped inside.