As the episode opens, Nancy is fleeing Vecna/One/Henry in the Upside Down, but he finally catches her and tells her he wants to show her something that she can relay to Eleven back in the real world. She sees visions of what Vecna has planned for the world. It's not pretty.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Hopper, Joyce, Murray, Dmitri, and Yuri are escaping the prison/research facility which contains some nasty secrets, including a Demodog that is being experimented on and tanks full of Demogorgons. Clearly the Russians are trying to weaponize the Upside Down in the real world.
Back in Utah, Eleven demonstrates that she has reclaimed her abilities by effortlessly raising and lowering the full 10,000-pound sensory deprivation tank off the ground without even breaking a sweat.
We are finally beginning to see the full scope of this terrible scheme that is taking place thanks to Brenner's explanation of the issue to Eleven and Nancy's account of what Vecna snowed her while in the Upside Down. He creates a new gateway between the worlds of the Right-Side-Up and the Upside Down with each person he uses the curse to kill. To be able to dismantle the wall separating the two realms and let the monsters and menacing black clouds wander freely and presumably murder everyone and everything in their wake, he needs to unlock four gates altogether. Three down and one to go.
Yuri offers to use a helicopter to transport everyone in Russia back to America, but the rest of them are dubious and they instead hatch a plan to call Dr. Owens for help.
Eddie Munson's ingenuity and skills enable the Hawkins crew to steal an RV and use it to get to War Zone, a huge gun and hunting store where they gear up for their confrontation with Vecna. At the store, they run into the entire basketball team, also buying guns and knives in their hunt for Eddie. Dr. Owens ties to help Eleven get back to Hawkins, but Brenner turns on them, imprisoning Owens and drugging Eleven. But, his plot is foiled when the general and his military hit squad shows up, killing all the soldier and doctors in the facility. Brenner helps her escape but is killed once they get outside. Eleven then uses her powers to bring down a helicopter with the sniper that killed Dr. Brenner. Just in time, using Suzie's GPS coordinates, Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle locate the Nina Project and subsequently Eleven in the desert. As the episode ends, they are driving off, as the general and his remaining men arrive outside to the carnage of their downed helicoptor.
