Determined to investigate the death of his old friend Darius, MacLeod follows a lead back to his old stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest. He meets Joe Dawson, a bookstore owner with a secret; he soon learns that Dawson is a high-ranking member of an ancient secret organization known as The Watchers, who observe and record the lives of the Immortals, passing their archives down from generation to generation. Unbeknownst to Dawson, his brother-in-law, James Horton (the man who killed Darius), has been recruiting Watchers to kill Immortals. We are left with the knowledge that other renegade Watchers may be waiting to try for MacLeod's head.

Thirty years ago, evil Immortal Quenten Barnes was executed in the electric chair, and promised he'd be back. Escaping the tomb that he has been captive to for the last several decades, Barnes begins hunting down the people involved in his execution. Joe Dawson learns that he has returned and tries to get MacLeod involved in Barnes' apprehension. Mac declines to get involved unless Barnes gets in his way, but when his old friend Michael Moore comes to town, a flashback shows us that Barnes killed Michael's wife and has a long-standing grudge against Michael. Now Mac is involved. He convinces Dawson to share the Watchers' surveillance file on Barnes with him. However, the file isn't much help. As the prosecutor and priest who were at Barnes' execution are killed off one by one, it becomes clear that Barnes will come after Michael next. The story ends with an interesting twist as MacLeod must make a decision that will affect the ""lives"" of two different personalities.

The Zone is a burned-out urban wasteland, abandoned by the police, who figure it's easier to just 'let the animals kill each other.' Now the Zone is being taken over by Canaan, a charismatic leader who urges his followers to take the material possessions that have been denied to them. Joe Dawson comes to MacLeod for help -- one of his men, who was observing Canaan, has been killed. Charlie accompanies MacLeod down to his old neighborhood in the Zone and introduces him to Asia, a nurse at the local clinic, one of few people who haven't given up on the neighborhood. After MacLeod learns that Canaan is not an Immortal, Dawson is ready to drop it. But MacLeod has seen the misery in the Zone, and is determined to break Canaan's hold. He convinces Asia that it's time to stand up for their rights, and he and Charlie arrange a meeting of neighborhood residents who want to take back their streets. But Asia is involved with Canaan, and she's used as bait to lure Mac to his apparent death. Canaan

Jimmy Sang, a former student of Charlie's, is an up-and-coming martial arts movie star. His latest movie is filming some scenes in the dojo. When a stuntman is ""accidentally"" killed, MacLeod is the first to realize that Jimmy's life is in danger. It turns out that the movie is based on Jimmy's youthful experiences as an enforcer for a powerful gang, and now his former boss wants to see him dead.

Tommy is an innorcent bystander who's accidentally killed during a swordfight between MacLeod and the Immortal Gallen. Haunted by the unnecessary death, MacLeod tries to find out more about the dead man -- and discovers he isn't exactly the innocent bystander he appeared.

Richie wants to protect Laura Daniels, a young woman who's on the run from an Immortal bounty hunter, Mako. MacLeod has met Mako before and doesn't like his methods, but he knows the other man is lawful. He questions whether Laura is necessarily innocent. Richie doesn't care, he wants to help her anyway, no matter what it takes. MacLeod is torn between doing what's right and helping his friend. Richie defeats Mako and receives his first Quickening, and he and MacLeod realize it's time for him to move on.

Charlie and MacLeod come to the aid of Sara Lightfoot, an Indian woman on the run with a baby. She tells them Avery Hoskins is trying to steal her baby. Hoskins and his brothers come after them, and they are forced to flee overland. After a rugged flight through a mountain canyon, MacLeod learns that the baby is in fact Hoskins' son, taken by Sara in retribution for her own child, killed by runoff from Hoskins' mines.

Donna, a girl Richie dated briefly several years ago, returns with her 18-month-old son -- who she claims is Richie's! While MacLeod reminds him that it's impossible, that Immortals are unable to have children, Richie sees this as an opportunity to have the family he never had and never will be able to again. When Kern, an evil Immortal, rides into town, MacLeod is reminded of his own foster son, Kahani. Kahani and his Sioux Indian mother, Little Deer, were massacred over a hundred years ago by U.S. soldiers led by Kern, then a mercenary scout. MacLeod is eager to even the score. When Donna finds Richie's sword and demands to know what it's for, Richie is at a loss to tell her. MacLeod advises Richie that it would be safer and kinder to Donna and the baby to leave them. When his new-found family is threatened by Kern, Richie realizes MacLeod is right. While MacLeod rids the world of the evil Kern, Richie lets go of the only family he'll ever have.