Bill fulfills the conditions of the tribunal's sentence, although he and Eric find that Jessica doesn't quite turn out as expected. Trying to solve the mystery behind her most recent vision, Sookie heads to a pie shop with Sam and later puts the squeeze on a philandering police officer to get info. Jason helps clean up Amy's mess, worrying about their future, but unable to break away. Tara's anger over Lettie Mae's refusal to bail her out of jail is tempered when Maryann Forrester, a wealthy "social worker," comes to her rescue. Disgusted by the hypocrisy of a vamp-bashing state senator, Lafayette decides to pay him a visit on the campaign trail. In Bill's absence, a vulnerable Sookie finds comfort in Sam. A distraught Jason finds himself in hot water with Bud and Andy, again.

Caught in a compromising position, Sam shares a secret with an incredulous Sookie. Thinking she's been purged of her demon, Tara celebrates with Lettie Mae - but goes off the deep end when she uncovers Miss Jeanette's true intentions. Sookie has a disturbing revelation during Arlene and Rene's engagement party at Merlotte's; Jason and Amy debate what to do with Eddie; and Tara speeds into a bizarre roadside encounter that lands her in jail. At a vampire tribunal to decide his fate, Bill faces a harsh penalty for his offense, but the magister decides on a more creative sentence involving a young human named Jessica.

Bill breaks a vampire taboo in protecting Sookie - and must pay a steep price as a result. Jason and Amy break their own taboo by kidnapping a vampire named Eddie in order to harvest his blood. With Lettie Mae apparently cured, a skeptical Tara consults with Miss Jeanette about exorcising her own inner demon. Sookie returns home to yet another horrific tragedy, prompting Bill to enlist an unlikely bodyguard - Sam - to protect her while he's away.

Sookie tries to hold herself together in the wake of another possible tragedy. Tara is amazed by Lettie Mae's turnaround, and considers similar therapy for herself after lashing out at Sookie and Sam. Jason's new squeeze Amy charms the crowd at Merlotte's, but shows a darker side to Jason when their V juice well runs dry. Rene (Michael Raymond James) pops the question to Arlene (Carrie Preston) while Sookie is baby-sitting her kids. Later, at Bill's request, Sookie agrees to use her gifts to help Eric (Alexander Skarsgård), a powerful vampire sheriff, root out a thief at Fangtasia.

Numbed by tragedy, Sookie looks for refuge from the cacophony of her friends' and neighbors' inner voices. After lashing out at his sister and decking Andy, Jason wrestles with withdrawal symptoms from his V juice habit. Tara resists the overtures of her mother Lettie Mae (Adina Porter), who's trying to rid herself of a demon and needs her daughter's help. Sam and Tara make a connection in their mutual search for "something real."

Spurned by an exasperated Sookie (Anna Paquin), Bill (Stephen Moyer) ends up winning over Adele's (Lois Smith) church audience with his vivid recollections from the Civil War, though Andy (Chris Bauer) and Bud (William Sanderson) remain suspicious. Sam (Sam Trammell) tries to make the most of his opportunity with Sookie, though she's clearly not ready to commit. Ignoring Tara's (Rutina Wesley) rebuff, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) convinces Jason (Ryan Kwanten) to give vampire blood, aka "V juice," another shot. Alone at home, Bill remembers the painful wartime incident that changed his fate forever.

Another killing in Bon Temps finds Jason back in custody with officers Andy (Chris Bauer) and Bud (William Sanderson). Tara gets him off the hook, but neither she nor Lafayette has the antidote to his current ailment. Urged by Gran to use her telepathic abilities to weed out the murderer and exonerate her brother, Sookie persuades Bill to take her to a Shreveport vampire bar called Fangtasia, where she impresses a dominant Nordic bloodsucker named Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) with her prescient powers. Later, Bill demonstrates his own considerable powers when an abusive patrolman stops the couple on their way home.

Foiled in their attempt to "glamour" Sookie, vampires Malcolm (Andrew Rothenberg), Liam (Graham Shiels) and Diane (Aunjanue Ellis) make a hasty retreat after Bill lays claim to the waitress. At Merlotte's, Sam seeks a short-term remedy to his long-term loneliness, while Tara seeks respite from her mother's alcohol-fueled rage. Spurned by Dawn (Lynn Collins) for lack of performance, Jason turns to Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), Merlotte's short-order cook, for help with his problem.