Michael Scofield is imprisoned in Fox River State Penitentiary. He finds his brother, Lincoln Burrows, who is a death row prisoner, and tells him that he is going to break them both out of the prison.

Trouble is inevitable in the prison, with a race riot imminent. Michael has problems retrieving a screw from the bleachers. Veronica receives a security tape that shows Lincoln shooting Terrence Steadman.

Two steps forward and one step back. Michael gets Abruzzi on his side and proves Sucre's trustworthiness, but then loses a valuable piece of his plan.

Michael gets more of the tools and people he needs, but someone very high up has taken notice and started wondering what he's up to.

Michael gains a necessary piece of information to effect his escape, but can he keep the Warden from kicking him out?

Michael's idea to get more drilling time by provoking a lock-down backfires horribly.

Veronica, Nick and LJ must go into hiding, while Bellick unwittingly provides Westmoreland's motivation to aid the escape.

With Abruzzi becoming more desperate to regain authority within the prison, it seems that Fibonacci's number is up.

Michael hands over an address to Falzone, allowing work to resume on the tunnel. Meanwhile, the VP enlists the help of a dangerous specialist.

Michael gets a visit from his wife, while Veronica and Nick get a visit from Quinn.

C-Note overhears Michael and Lincoln discussing that there are too many fugitives for available time and they share the information with the group telling that one shall be left behind. T-Bag feels threatened and calls his cousin James Bagwell, disclosing the escape plan and asking James to call the Warden Pope in case T-Bag does not contact him later. Abruzzi asks his outside man to kidnap James, but things go wrong and the mobster kills James and his five year old son Jimmy. Abruzzi feels guilty for the death of the child and feels the need of God's forgiveness, but T-Bag betrays Abruzzi like Judas. Meanwhile Veronica and LJ bring Nick to the hospital and while in surgery, LJ escapes to see the funeral of his mother. Daniel Hale sees the teenager in the cemetery but he does not arrest him; later he tells his wife that they should move West and makes an anonymous call to Veronica scheduling a meeting in the Highland Cafe. Maricruz tells Sucre that she is pregnant but she will marry Hector. Captain Bellick presses David to rat Michael, reporting everything he says. Michael tests the escape plan and informs the group that they are ready to go that night, but Lincoln was sent to solitary confinement protecting his brother.

The escape is about to go through when the team hits a stainless steel snag, while Veronica is just a moment too late to get all the information she needs to prove Lincoln's innocence.

Flashbacks provide exposition on how the inmates arrived at Fox River Penitentiary from The Company's framing of Lincoln to the creation of Michael's plan to save his brother's life.

As the escape continues, lives are lost and Pope and Bellick do everything in their power to capture the convicts.