In Plain Sight

U.S. Marshal Mary Shannon has a simple day ahead of her: pick up federally protected witness, Tasha Turischeva and get her situated - make sure her boyfriend picks up her ne'er do well sister, Brandi, from the train station - and survive the "surprise" party her mother has planned. However, when Mary learns that her witness, former hit-man Frankie Santoro's, a.k.a. Frankie "Nuts'" beloved son was murdered, all the above plans are relegated to the back burner. And for that she's almost grateful. Mary now finds herself faced with two problems: Was Jr. killed by someone from Frankie Sr.'s past? And how do you tell a mafia hit man that his only son was murdered? In order to keep Frankie from flying off in a blind vengeful rage, Mary has twenty-four hours to find and apprehend Jr.'s killer.

Leo Billups witnessed a drug-related murder that involved the Cruz family, one of the most powerful drug families in the country. It's a common enough story in WITSEC. What sets this one apart is that the person he saw murdered was his mother - and Leo is eight years old. When Leo enters WITSEC, no one's really sure what to do with him. His father can't go into the program, since he's one of the people Leo is testifying against. Mary asks another WITSEC family if they'll adopt him. When they agree, it seems like everything's going to work out perfectly. But Leo's father sues for custody, claiming the Federal government had no right to take Leo in the first place. Everyone knows he just wants Leo so he can keep him from testifying, but the law is on his side. Now, Mary must find a way to keep Leo away from his father and safe from the Cruz family.

Treena Morris is a con artist. Her particular skill: making men fall so crazy, head-over-heels in love with her that they'll do stupid things, like hand her a bag full of illegal conflict diamonds, and trust that she'll put them in the safe. Her current husband/mark is just that gullible. Unfortunately for her, before she can get away with half the diamonds, the Feds bust her. On the plus side, she's got more than enough dirt on her diamond-smuggler husband to make a deal. Mary is understandably disgusted when she's told she has to help this woman get a fresh start. She's even angrier when Treena gets engaged to one of the wealthiest men in Albuquerque, allows her engagement photo to be put in the paper, and refuses to call off the wedding despite Mary's warnings. Now Mary has to keep Treena safe from angry diamond smugglers and keep Treena's fiancé safe from her.

Horst Vanderhoff is an agent, which is difficult enough when you're dealing with actors, but Horst's job is a good deal more stressful. He's the go-between for a highly sought after hit woman known only as Lola. While trying to get her next job lined up, Horst is grabbed by the Feds and forced to give testimony against her in exchange for a chance at joining the Witness Protection Program. When Mary and Marshall show up at Perryville Prison to pick him up, he's justifiably nervous. He's also really irritating. Mary and Marshall set out toward the desert, convinced that the worst part of the job will be putting up with Horst for four hours. But when two killers ambush them, disable their car and wound Marshall, Mary has the much more difficult task of finding a way to keep all of them safe from Lola.

The Feds make a lot of promises in exchange for testimony, not all of them moral, and it's the Marshals who are stuck with the consequences. When art dealer Jay Arnstein goes into the witness protection program, he asks that his wife, Marci, be moved with him, as well as his mistress, Kay. The rules force Mary to keep this from Marci, a very sweet woman with whom she has an immediate bond. Things might have gone on like that forever, but when Jay is shot late one night at the gallery, everyone's secrets are forced out into the open.

Brothers Shane and Chris Worley have been Mary's witnesses for five years. They came into the program alone. Their parents are dead and Shane has been looking after Chris most of his life. Now it looks like all Shane's hard work is paying off. Chris is the star of his college basketball team and scouts are showing a lot of interest. The only problem is that Chris has started gambling and he's thousands of dollars in debt. Mary has to find a way to keep both brothers' lives from being destroyed by Chris' problem.

Iris McBride and her family are uprooted and forced to move to Albuquerque after she witnesses a gang shooting. Her father, a successful doctor, is livid when he learns that just because his daughter disobeyed him and went to the wrong part of town, he has to give up his practice. When Mary first meets the family she assures them that things will get better, but that's hard for them to believe when it'll take weeks for their furniture to get to them, they're living on a government stipend, and the only job the dad can get is at a free clinic. Mary has to keep Iris safe while she testifies, but the more difficult task is going to be keeping the family from falling apart.

Don and Ruth Ferguson are two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. They're devoted to the Catholic Church, they spend all of their time working at a homeless shelter and they've managed to recreate their lives after leaving everything behind to enter the Witness Protection Program. The only problem is: they can't stand each other, and they're too Catholic to divorce. Despite their misery, Ruth is devastated when she hears that Don has died in a traffic accident. As Mary investigates, she learns that the case is more complicated than it seems at first glance. The body in Don's car isn't Don, which begs the question: Could Don still be alive? If so, who has him?

Internal Affairs knows Rico Eps is one of the dirty cops on the Chicago force who isn't above planting evidence to make a case. But instead of taking him down, IA offers him a deal in exchange for investigating his fellow cops. Eps takes the deal, and when his partner finds out, he's almost killed. Staying on the police force obviously isn't an option. Eps has to leave everything behind and enter Witness Protection. When Mary and he meet there are immediate sparks, and even though she knows it's against the rules and an all-around terrible idea, she gives into temptation and sleeps with him. Afterwards, they part ways and have minimal contact over the next six months. Things might have continued like that, but when an Albuquerque cop with ties to Chicago is murdered, Eps quickly becomes the prime suspect. Mary has to both prove his innocence and keep their past from damaging her career.

Natasha, the mild mannered Ukrainian accountant, has gotten her new breasts, but her life becomes more complicated when she discovers that her new boyfriend is also in WITSEC.

After watching her mother audition for "Sweet Charity", Mary Shannon is kidnapped. Meanwhile in New Jersey, Brandi's boyfriend Chuck is also abducted and two FBI agents are killed. When the Feds working on Mary's kidnapping case suspect a connection between the two crimes, a nationwide manhunt goes underway for both Mary and Chuck.

Mary finally returns home after her harrowing kidnapping ordeal at the hands of the maniacal Spanky only to learn that Brandi's involvement with Chuck - who was shot dead right in front of Mary - not only Mary into that horrible mess in the first place, but could cost her her career. Mary tells Brandi that since she is under investigation for her part in the murder of two FBI Agents, she will have to report anything that Brandi tells her to the proper authorities. This is the one time that she cannot help her sister. Both Brandi and Jinx are stunned that Mary won't get involved but after what Mary has been through and what's at stake for her, it's clear that she is as serious as a heart attack.