During the helicopter ride to the ship, Desmond's consciousness begins jumping back and forth between present day 2004 and 1996. He is forced to find Daniel Faraday in 1996 in order to get answers and stop the jumps.
On the island, Jack and the survivors come closer to finding rescue. In the flashback, Jack is shown in Los Angeles, living though a meaningless existence as a drunkard.
Jack and the survivors wait for Charlie to turn off The Others' signal-jamming device, not knowing that he has been captured at the Looking Glass station.
After discovering a sailboat just offshore containing Desmond, Jack and Sayid come up with a plan to confront "The Others". Eko and Locke come to blows as Locke makes a potentially cataclysmic decision regarding the "button".
The castaways on the raft are surprised at sea by something unexpected. Meanwhile, remaining islanders attempt to blow open the hatch, and a visitor to the encampment might be a threat to Claire's infant son.
The mysteries behind Richard Alpert's arrival to the island, his immortality, and his alliance with Jacob are revealed--plus more details about the purpose of the island and the relationship between Jacob and the smoke monster.
As Ben takes Locke to see Jacob and reveal the island's secrets, Ben's background on the island is exposed--as well as what happened to the Dharma Initiative.
Ben tries to escape Keamy's custody so that he and Locke can follow through with Jacob's request to move the island. Michael tries to neutralize the explosives on the boat, while the "Oceanic 6" move closer to rescue.
