Claire and Jenny set out to rescue Jamie from his redcoat captors. When Murtagh joins up, they turn to unorthodox tactics to send word to Jamie. When word finally arrives, the news isn’t what anyone had hoped.
The Search opens on Jenny telling Mrs. Crook to milk the goats and ask Granny McNab for honey presumably for Wee Maggie. Ian wonders what Claire intends to do. Claire intends to go after Jamie and Ian wants to join in but Claire boldly tells him he can’t because he’s missing a leg. Ian thinks he can make another but Jenny tells him he’s not going anywhere with a wounded arm. Ian then thinks to send a man named Duncan and some tenants after Jamie but Claire stops him saying Claire is going to go by herself. Claire tells Ian if the men of Lallybroch engage the British Army there could be a backlash on Lallybroch and Jamie wouldn’t want that. Ian still wants to be useful so he makes a map of where they were when they were ambushed.
Outside, Claire is mounting up with an armed Jamie comes out to join her. Claire tells Jenny she can’t go because she’s just had a baby but Jenny tells Claire she needs a tracker and Jenny is it. Claire’s mind drifts off realizing she’ll need all the help she can get if she is going to find Jamie and Jenny brings her out of her thoughts. The two ride off in search of Jamie.
On the road, Jenny and Claire follow Ian’s crude map, checking periodically for signs that the men had gone through there. Jenny finds a track and then sees crows flying above some trees in search of food to scavenge. Jenny knows they are close and they ride towards the birds. There they find the ambush stop fresh with the dead members of the Watch. Jenny prays for their souls as Claire looks over the men to ensure herself Jamie isn’t among them.
Claire remembers the war and how the losers in a war are often left on the battlefield. Jenny appears from above on the embankment to tell Claire there are tracks from a cart. Claire hopes there is a large red head weighing the cart down.
Jenny can Claire are off again but have to stop because Jenny needs to empty her breast milk. Claire didn’t realize how breast milk worked and Jenny tells Claire it is a nuisance much like most things to do with bairns though you’d not choose not to have them. Claire agrees somewhat melancholy. Jenny hopes they can catch up to the Red Coats before they reach Fort William because she’s afraid Randall will finally finish off Jamie. Claire tells Jamie she’s planned to avoid Randall and deal with Lord Thomas only as the man took a liking to her when last they met. Jenny thinks Claire’s plan it bad but Claire tells her it is better than no plan.
Jenny and Claire continue on their way and find the Red Coats camp but their prisoner isn’t Jamie but instead Mr. MacQuarrie. Claire worries that the men have killed Jamie but Jenny doesn’t think he’s daft enough to pick a fight with ten men. Claire gives Jenny the “oh isn’t he” look and Jenny looks a little worried.
One of the Red Coats is assigned to dispatch a message and Jenny and Claire set up their own ambush. Jenny falls into the road before the messenger who stops to help her. Claire approaches from behind with a pistol and Jenny pulls her own pistol.
Jenny and Claire are interrogating the messenger who calls them harlots and thieves. Claire tells him they are neither and asks about the red headed Highlander. The man won’t talk so Jenny pulls the rod from his weapon and heats the end so she can burn his feet. The man screams out but doesn’t talk. Claire tells her to stop but Jenny has no intention. Claire asks him to talk and Jenny threatens to smoke his balls. The man says he’s just a courier and Claire realizes the message in his pack will answer their questions. The courier tells her not to open the dispatch as it can get them both hanged but Claire disregards him.
The dispatch says Jamie escaped and the army is still searching for him. Jenny realizes the other Red Coats are taking MacQuarrie to Beauly and this dispatch is to get the men of Fort William to search for Jamie. Jenny tears up the dispatch so it never reaches its destination and the soldiers of Fort William will not hear of Jamie.
Claire realizes that Jamie won’t go home so Jenny thinks they should go deeper into the Highlands where the Garrison won’t dare go. Claire notices the Courier and decides to help his burns and Jenny gives her a reality check telling Claire they can’t let the man live. Claire doesn’t like the idea of it and Jenny doesn’t like the idea of Claire judging her. Jenny knows if the man tells someone about Jamie and them that Lallybroch will be in danger. The matter is settled; however, when Murtagh slits the Courier’s throat.
Murtagh tells them the Courier won’t be telling his tale to anyone. He also tells them to hide their tracks better as he’s been following them. He tells them to make camp while he goes off to find supper. Claire is off gathering wood while Jenny arranges their belongings. Jenny tells Claire that love forces you to choose and you find yourself doing things you never thought you would do. Claire tells Jenny she wasn’t judging her because she would have done it herself if Murtagh hadn’t appeared.
Claire is sitting by the fire that night setting up the wood so it will feed itself into the fire as the logs burn. Jenny is impressed and says for a Lady of Oxfordshire she kens a lot about the wilds. Claire tells Jenny a bit about her upbringing and asks where Jenny learned to track. Jenny says it was from Ian and Jamie who didn’t like her tagging along but did it because she’d threaten to put bugs in their food.
Murtagh comes through the brush and Jenny asks if Ian sent him. Murtagh confirms this but thinks they are both natural outlaws. He then tries to get Jenny and Claire to clean his kill but they both refuse.
The next morning Claire is packing up camp and Jenny gives her the Quarter Day rents and a knife. Jenny is getting ready to leave but Claire decides to be a prophet to Jenny. She tells her to plant potatoes. Jenny says they aren’t grown in the Highlands. Claire tells Jenny the yield is better with potatoes rather than wheat. Jenny says she can send to Edinburgh for some. Claire tells her to plant as many as they can as their will be a famine in two years. She also says any land that is not productive needs to be sold for gold because war is coming. Claire says there will be slaughter and men will be hunted through the Highlands.
Jenny doesn’t balk at this as Jamie told her Claire might predict things like this and to do as Claire said. Claire tells her those are the important things to do. Jenny hugs Claire confident that Claire will do whatever it takes to find Jamie. Jenny then kisses Claire’s cheek in farewell.
Now Murtagh and Claire set off together to find Jamie. Murtagh’s plan is for Claire to make a name for herself as a healer and get Jamie to find them.
Claire and Murtagh make their way from croft, village and hamlet for Claire to heal. Murtagh would also ask around for news of Jamie.
In a tavern, Murtagh dances a sword dance rather badly much to the crowd’s dismay. Meanwhile, Claire is doing fortunetelling to get information out of the locals though she yields no results. Murtagh comes of the stage and is annoyed that Claire was doing her fortune telling during his dance. Claire asks if there is any other way to get the word out and Murtagh tells her words can’t travel by air. Claire remarks, “Not yet anyway,” which greatly confuses Murtagh. Murtagh hasn’t heard anything about Jamie either and Claire is skeptical about the plan.
In another village, Murtagh’s dancing is ill received and Claire suggests he “jazz up” the dance with a song. She then give the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy song as an example of a toe tapping song. The song give Murtagh an idea though they’d need a Scottish song.
In the next village, Claire is dressed as a “man” to sing a bawdy song. Murtagh pushes her up on stage and a very nervous Claire begins singing. The audience starts to really enjoy it and Claire gets into singing the song.
We see there are now notices up about the Sassenach singer as Claire and Murtagh are more well received with their new act. Murtagh collects money and asks about a strapping red headed lad. Claire is concerned they aren’t getting Jamie’s attention but Murtagh says Jamie knows the song because Dougal sang it when he was drunk. Claire and Murtagh hit many more towns with no luck finding Jamie.
In the next town, they come across a man doing a sword dance and a woman pretending to be the Sassenach. A Gypsy has stolen their act.
Claire goes to the Gypsy’s tent and confronts them about the act. The Gypsy wonders why a proper English lass would travel the Highlands signing the song. He thinks it is politics or love and Claire says it isn’t politics. Claire tells the man she is searching for her husband and she has to sing that song and once she does the song is his. She pays the Gypsy the Quarter Day rents and asks for his word not to sing the song. The Gypsy gives his word and Claire and Murtagh leave but Murtagh tell Claire the man isn’t going to stick to his word. Claire tells him she has to believe that he will.
Murtagh thinks she should go back to Lallybroch and he’ll just track the gypsies. Claire pulls rank and tells Murtagh she’s the Laird’s Lady and she’s not going anywhere. They keep going until they reach the coast and have nowhere left to go.
They make camp in a cave and Murtagh blames Claire for not going back to Lallybroch and thinks he shouldn’t have followed after her as he could have followed the gypsies. Claire blows up at him and tells him he doesn’t understand because he’s never loved some he’s loved. Murtagh gets upset and walks to the mouth of the cave. He tells her he lost someone at the MacKenzie gathering years ago. He says the woman he loved had another suitor and he tried to prove himself by killing a boar with just a dagger. The MacKenzie was impressed and gave him the tusks that he made into bracelets which he gave to the lass as a wedding gift.
Claire pulls out the bracelets and realizes that the lass was Ellen MacKenzie Fraser. Murtagh is choked up to see them and tell her she’s not the only one who loves Jamie. Murtagh sees him as a son. Claire apologizes and weeps in Murtagh’s arms. Murtagh takes on the fatherly roll and tries to calm her.
The next day, Claire dresses in a dress again as they head out on more friendly terms to start back at the beginning.
In a tavern, Claire is telling fortunes when Mr. Ward (the gypsy) appears to confess he hasn’t stopped performing the song. Claire is angry as is Murtagh. Claire tells Murtagh Ward was just leaving. Ward says they got a message which was meant for her. When Claire asks what it is Ward wants to be paid but Claire isn’t going to pay him anything. Ward gives in and tells her she’s to go to Glen Rowan Cross. Murtagh says he thinks it a good lead and Claire kissing Ward’s cheek with a thank you from one gypsy to another.
Murtagh and Claire set out and when they arrive they don’t find Jamie but instead Dougal. Claire realizes he’s smuggling now for the Jacobites. Dougal tells them they needn’t search any longer because Jamie was captured when he turned a path and ran into Red Coats. Jamie is now at Wentworth and has already stood trial and sentenced to hang.
Claire turns to run off but Dougal stops her and Murtagh steps in to protect her. Dougal wants to talk to Claire alone and she agrees to it much to Murtagh’s dismay. Claire and Dougal walk farther away and Dougal tells her he understands she’s grieving but she has to let go. He asks her to go with him and let him protect her as her husband. Claire pulls away and shames Dougal by saying he’s making a play for his nephew’s wife while he’s in prison.
Claire wonders if Geillis was his soul mate but Dougal doesn’t want to talk about her. Dougal tells her that she going to be a widow with nothing and no one to protect her. He asks how long she thinks it will be before Randall comes to Lallybroch looking for her.
Dougal tells her the Fraser’s won’t be able to protect her but as the War Chieftain of Clan MacKenzie he can. She realizes he’s wanted to control Lallybroch all this time which is why he kept Jamie away all that time and lied about Jenny haven’t Randall’s bastard.
Dougal tells Claire Jamie would want her to marry him if it meant keeping her away from Randall. Claire doesn’t want to admit this could be true (not sure it is) and then asks how many men Dougal has with him? Dougal has 10 men but says they can’t break into Wentworth Prison with so few men.
Claire reminds him that Jamie broke into Fort William with fewer and asks if Dougal is afraid he’s not as good as Jamie. Claire then bargains with Dougal that she will try to save Jamie but if she fails or Jamie is already dead then she will marry Dougal.
Dougal will not force his men to go to their deaths but he won’t stand in their ways should they choose to go.
With Dougal’s men, Angus and Rupert make their excuses but Claire tells them Jamie would come for them. This moves Willie says Jamie has always looked out for him and he’ll go. This pushes Angus and Rupert over the edge and they agree to go as well.
Claire leads the men to Wentworth and they stop on a hill to see the looming presence of the prison…
