Four weeks before the blackout Bryce Varley receives news that his cancer (renal cell carcinoma) has metastasized and is now Stage 4. While leaving the hospital stunned with the news he accidently reverses into a car and then gets a case of road rage with the cars owner.

Two weeks before the blackout the woman from Bryce’s Flash Forward Keiko Arahida has an interview for a job at Nakahara a robotics firm (she is qualified up to Masters level), for which we later learn she is successful but does not seem happy after a few days in the job especially as her mother is trying to play matchmaker.

In LA at this point Bryce is still not coping with the bad news and gets chewed out by Olivia. On the day of the blackout we learn that Bryce has not told anyone as he does not want pity and his father died of lung cancer so he does not want to put his family through the process again. We then see his aborted suicide attempt and his full Flash Forward.

In the Flash Forward he is ordering food in a Japanese restaurant and in walks Keiko in what could be their first meeting as he says “Your really here” he the see’s a tattoo on her wrist which says believe. We also see Keiko wake up from her Flash Forward with a smile on her face.

In the present, Bryce is starting to learn Japanese but is suffering from nausea from the Chemotherapy.

At Aaron’s Mark calls to check up on Tracey and tell him the latest on the Jericho investigation. While he has not found much he has discovered that they are headquartered in Santa Monica and are run by the Burrows foundation for international peace. While Mark is saying this Aaron is stunned to find a nearly empty bottle of Vodka on the floor.

Mark then has to go as he has to answer a call on Olivia’s mobile, he then notices the text message about his drinking and asks Olivia about it, but she still does not know who sent it.

At the hospital Olivia notices that Bryce is looking ill, and after putting him through a brief check up discovers that Bryce has a central line, and Bryce admits he has Stage 4 cancer and has known for a year. Olivia then works out that this is why he was going to commit suicide, and is shocked that she hadn’t noticed earlier.

At Aaron’s, he confronts Tracey about the alcohol in the house since as an alcoholic he cant cope with having alcohol nearby. Tracey takes it badly as she takes it as him confronting her over having a problem.

At the FBI, the NSA representative informs them that Subject Zero’s ring has an alpha on it. She then admits tapping Demetri’s phone and recording the phone call about his murder. They then manage to put sufficient pressure on her to get a copy of the phone call.

In Japan we see that Keiko has a glorified office job and is then further demeaned by being made to serve tea at a board meeting as she is the only woman in the department. A little later we see her about to get the tattoo on her wrist.

After the AA meeting Mark confronts Aaron over the text Olivia received, this then leads to an argument with Aaron telling Mark that if he cant trust him then perhaps he should get a new sponsor. Later on Mark has a similar conversation with Director Wedeck which ends with Wedeck ordering Mark out of his office.

At the hospital, Bryce discovers from his Japanese patient, that Keiko likes to eat at a small restaurant in Tsukuba as she recognises the symbol on her T-Shirt. Later Olivia tells Bryce that she has got him onto a clinical trial, Bryce is reluctant due to the possible side effects of the drug and because he saw himself alive in 6 months. Olivia then responds by saying that perhaps the reason he was alive was because he took the drug.

Bryce then takes some time off work but rather than go to Houston were the trial is he goes to Japan instead. When there he goes to the restaurant which is not the one in his flash forward but does discovers Keiko’s name. At around this time Keiko is having an argument with her mother about her career and the matchmaking which ends her mother saying perhaps she shouldn’t live here.

Back in LA at the FBI an analysis has been made of the phonecall which from analysis of the ambient noise places it as being made in Hong Kong. Wedeck refuses to send them there though due to the tension with China following the CIA’s allegations. Mark then tells Demetri they are going anyway.

Back in Japan, Bryce arrives at Keiko’s but she is not there and her mother threatens to call the police, possibly due to realising Bryce could be who Keiko was talking about when Keiko said there was someone else for her. Bryce after a phone call with Nicole decides to come home.

Mark arrives at Aaron’s to have a calm talk, we see that Tracey is still drinking as Aaron comes to the door. Mark apologises to Aaron, Aaron while getting slightly angry admits the problem is Tracey as she is broken and an alcoholic and Aaron blames himself and thinks she is following too closely in his footsteps. Aaron ends the conversation by saying he doesn’t think he can be his sponsor but could use a friend.

At LAX we see Bryce get off the airplane, whilst unbeknownst to him Keiko follows him off the same plane. We then see Keiko’s Flash Forward in which she is running to the Oomasa Japanese restaurant which from a magazine article in the window can be seen to be in Los Angeles not Japan.