In Ukraine in March 2022, we're treated to a graphic scene of the war, complete with shooting, fires, and dead bodies. A bunch of people hide behind a car as bombs explode, then run between cars trying to escape the shooting. A kid on a bike is gunned down. It is an ugly, realistic depiction of war.

A soldier tries to take a necklace off a dead woman. The girl watching flops back and plays dead as the soldiers turn toward her. Her eyes open as everyone leaves.

Now the same girl is in a nice looking bar, maybe in a hotel? She gets attacked and runs away.

Cosgrove's daughter wants to be homeschooled because she's afraid of school shooters. Cosgrove doesn't want to. He says nothing bad will happen to Lili despite the lockdown drills. The girl from before interrpts, getting run over. Cosgrove tries to tend to her while waiting for 911. The girl says he but is too weak to explain what happened.  He promises not to leave her but walks off to direct the ambulance and someone shoots her dead. Cosgrove goes running after the shooter but loses him.

The girl is gone. Cosgrove meets Detective Shaw and refuses to cede jurisdiction. Shaw wants to know what happened. Cosgrove tells him.  Shaw is new and not sure how partne

ring on this works. Cosgrove will make some calls to make it happen. Cosgrove walks off and finds his daughter is not at the table. He finds her at the scene. She was worried about him. He yells at her that you run away from gunshots, not toward them. Lili wants to know what happened. Cosgrove won't tell her. Lili realizes the girl is dead. (This appears to be a similar plotline to when a teenage Maureen Stabler witnessed a man set on fire while with her dad).

Later, Cosgrove is looking at security footage. Dixon says Frank and Shaw can take the lead from her precinct. She tells Frank she's sorry he witnessed this. No clue where the shooter came from. No ID on the girl yet either. No personal belongings. Missing persons shows the girl was a Ukranian refugee whose aunt reported her missing.

Shaw wants to handle the notification. He's never done one before and wants to jump in. He is not very sensitive in his giving of the bad news and the aunt slaps him and blames him for her niece's death.

The victim came from Ukraine a few months ago. She ran away when she experienced freedom in the US. One day she disappeared. But the cops didn't do anything. She never heard anything from her again.

Cosgrove says Shaw didn't do so badly. Now it's time for Shaw's first autopsy.

The autopsy shows that the girl was sexually assaulted multiple times lately. She had caviar in her stomach.

She was clearly on a party boat so the cops investigate. The dock manager doesn't want to help without a warrant but Cosgrove intimidates him. Shaw says he enjoys Frank's swag. However he admits he doesn't like Frank's style. Turns out he's an ex-lawyer. Frank asks him to find what's taking so long.

The cops question a boat owner who claims he never saw the girl. He says the yacht is not in his possession at the moment. Chartered out right now. He gets 600G/week for leasing out the yacht. Shaw wants a name.

Benson joins the case. The lease is owned by a Russian corporation and the only name is a Chechnyan 73 year old. Benson is here because they think the girl was trafficked. She doesn't know this profile specifically but she says this is a common trafficking scheme. She says SVU has put their own cameras in the area as the rich guys' cameras magically never function during these situations.

The video is grainy and hard to see but it shows Ava running away from a yacht. There's also parking lot cameras.

A limo company owner refuses to give any info. It doesn't matter to him if his clients commit crimes. He doesn't want to get involved. Shaw convinces himm it's better to do this than have all his records subpoenas. Cosgrove is smirking.

THey find a name of the guy who hired the car service. Cosgrove insists on talking to the guy directly. A servant takes them to the back of a mansion on the water. No one sees surprised the NYPD has shown p. The suspect claims not to know anything. He says do you want anything else? I need to have my lunch. He claims not to know who Ava is despite the photo of him running after the girl. He says he's done. Cosgrove grabs him and says I'm not done. I saw you. I was there. And I'm coming for you. Shaw gets him to back off.

Stabler comes to see Cosgrove. He says that Cosgrove is ruining his case with this. OC has been investigating Shrinkel for 6 months. Cosgrove says the SOB killed a 15-year-old. Stabler says give me what you got. Frank says he's taking the case. Stabler says it is his case and Cosgrove better back off. Dixon tells Frank to let it go. She wants him to calm down while she makes some calls.

Bell and Stabler brief Cosgrove and Shaw. They have a CI and are looking into fentanyl sales. Cosgrove wants to use the CI. Stabler says no. They don't want to scare off Sirenko. He wants to get the whole crew. Cosgrove doesn't have time. He was there when this girl died. He looked in her eyes and this pig pt two in her chest right in front of him. Ava was barely 15. Stabler says sorry, but no. Cosgrove said he heard Stabler was a great cop who would do anything to get justice for a girl like Ava but he guessed he heard wrong. Bell tells Stabler its up to him but she agrees w/Frank.

Stabler goes to a bar where his CI is in a fight out back. His CI collapses. Stabler breaks up the fight so he can talk to the CI. CI asks why he's here. Stabler tells him about Ava. He needs a clone of the burner. A handheld clone. CI can do it tonight. Stabler says use your head. These guys are paranoid so walk if you have to.

At the club, someone asks the CI what happened to his face. He claims it was rough sex. Jet and Stabler are watching. He tries to steal a ciagreete and Stabler and Jet are nervous and tell him to pull back. The contact is not interested in business tonight anyway. The CI leaves but tries to do something risky that Stabler doesn't like. Stabler tells Jet to call patrol and get him an excuse to storm if needed.

Jet can't find any excuses for STabler to raid. He may blow the CI's cover if he comes in. CI is sneaking around in some tunnels under the club. CI manages to get near the phone but not before his contact catches him. He says he's apologizing. Mark accuses him of following him.

Stabler fends off the advances of some women to try to get to the back room. Mark chokes the CI and says don't come in my office without an invitation. He throws him right against the phone and tries to put the flash drive in it. (Not sure if he succeeds; it's unclear.)

Jet rolls her eyes as she watches. CI comes down the stairs and meets Stabler at the bar, where he hands him something in a wrapper.

Cosgrove wants to know where Stabler got this CI. He explains about finding this kid trying to beat up a guy twice his size. Kid is smart but impetuous. Anyway, there is footage from the day of the murder. There is a second girl on the boat. They need to find her as she is a witness. She may still be on the boat.

Stabler shows the footage to Benson. They don't know who the girl or the woman with her is. Benson says let them run with this. Maybe they will have priors for this woman for prostitution. They want to do whatever it takes to find the "mother hen."

Benson and SVU quickly ID the female pimp. They tell Stabler and a raid begins. The woman is arrested. The girl grabs a knife. Cosgrove tells her she's safe and arrests her. She says she'd rather die, please shoot her.