Benson and Stabler investigate the connection between the New York murder of college counselor Kate Simes and her volunteer work at a refugee center working with soldiers tortured in Iraq.
When the paternity of a missing young boy is placed into question, Stabler wonders if he really is the father of Kathy's child. Later, Stabler faces the possibility of losing not only his partner but also Kathy and the baby when she and Benson are in an accident.
When a polygamist's wife is murdered, he believes it's related to a recent criminal case he was testifying in, but detectives believe it may be connected to his culture.
A woman's body is found murdered in a park alongside a man with a bullet in his head - Benson and Special Agent Cooper join forces and suspect "The Woodsman", a serial killer Cooper has tried to catch for years. Lake and Benson begin to question Cooper's true motives when the male victim is later identified as "The Woodsman".
The robbery of fertilized embryos from a sperm bank call for Benson and Stabler to track down the thief. Clues from the clinic's security tape lead them to a long list of suspects including two publicity-hungry extremists. The detectives race against the clock to find the missing embryos, but that isn't the only clock that's ticking - Olivia considers her own fertility and the possibility of motherhood.
After a woman was found raped in a garden, Benson and Stabler realize that the case goes much deeper because of the victim's mother, drugs, and the realization that a corrections officer is involved. Benson decides to go undercover at the same prison where the mother is, putting herself on the other side of the fence.
After investment banker Jeremy Haynes is found dead, suspicions turns to his boyfriend Lincoln Haver, a professional football player who could lose everything if the truth of his sexuality became public. When news of Haver's sexual orientation comes out, Benson comes under fire for her relationship with a reporter.
