In the darkened cargo hold Mal suddenly hits the floor, obviously in pain. We then suddenly flashback to the first time he showed Serenity to Zoe. She's none too impressed with the ship and in fact thinks it will be the death of them. We leave the scene as Mal says he's got a name already picked out. Then we're back in the present day and see Mal is bleeding and now stumbling through the eerily lit ship.

 

Another flashback on what seems to be an extraordinarily happy moment for the crew of Serenity. All the characters are sitting around the dinner table as Shepard Book shares what we learn is one of his many stories of life in the monastary. Kaylee gets up to clear the table and Simon offers to help. Kaylee tells him to sit down though and shortly brings him back a cake. It's Simon's birthday.

Suddenly there's a blackout and while Kaylee looks down a corridor a fire ball comes straight at her. Zoe jumps and knocks her out of the way but catches the brunt of the blast and is knocked unconscious. Simon comes over to check her out along with Wash. Mal extinguishes the fire and orders Wash to the bridge to assess the damage but he doesn't want to leave Zoe. Another flashback to Mal hiring Wash as pilot despite, of course, the protests of Zoe, who has a bad feeling about him.

In real time Mal makes like Uma Thurman and sticks himself with an adrenaline needle and then we're back to right after the accident where Kaylee is informing Mal the ship is dead in space and they will shortly be out of air. We then go back to see the first time Mal met Kaylee. See, she was having an...ummm..encounter with a surfer-dude type who was currently the ship's mechanic. After wowing Mal he's fired and she's hired.

The rest of the episode follows the same format. The arc unfolding after the explosion has Mal ordering everyone into the two shuttles and setting off to find help. He is stays with Serenity in case anyone happens by and can help with the part they need for the engine. Someone does, but the usual Mal Reynolds complications during the bargaining are what lead to him being shot and then struggling through the ship. The final crew member we meet in the flashbacks is Jayne, who we learn was helping someone else steal from Mal until he could be enticed away with a better benefits package.

Mal finally gets the spare part in place but passes out before he can call the crew shuttles home They return anyway, unwilling to abandon their captain. Finally we go back and see the first time Mal saw the Firefly-class transport that would become Serenity.