Liz comes home to discover that her journal is no longer in the bottom drawer of her dresser. She immediately goes to see Maria and explains to her the gravity of the situation… the diary contains all the information Max has kept secret, such as where he comes from and what sort of special powers he has.

Across town in his trailer, Michael awakens from a dream and begins to draw a rudimentary semi-circle that he has seen in the dream. He rushes to Max’s house and shows him the sketch, explaining that it is what he saw when he touched the alien-related key that they took from Valenti’s office.

The next day at school, Maria tries to help Liz "reconstruct the crime" by considering who had opportunity and motive. While Liz is still hopeful that the diary has merely been misplaced, she tells Maria that she was studying yesterday with Alex in her room. Maria hypothesizes that Alex may have been feeling shut out by them because they have not answered any of his questions that would have required revealing the existence of the aliens. Curious, he might have tried to get the answers by taking Liz’s diary.

Later that afternoon, Ms. Topolsky walks in on Liz, sitting alone in a darkened classroom. She tells Liz that she is more than just a guidance counselor; she is also her friend. After considering opening up, Liz tells her that everything is fine. Maria decides to open up to Alex and shares with him her suspicion that he took Liz’s journal. Alex is angered that the first thing in weeks that Maria has revealed to him turns out to be a none-too-subtle accusation. Ms. Topolsky hones in on the disturbed Alex and gets him to admit that he is upset that Liz thinks he took her diary. After Alex leaves her office, Ms. Topolsky picks up the phone, dials, enters a clearance number and asks for some back-up.

In art class, the teacher, Mr. Cowan, is surprised to see Michael show up to his class for the first time in two weeks. Michael immediately walks up to a vacant easel and begins to intently sketch.

That afternoon at the UFO Center, Milton hands Max the book Among Us by James Atherton and recommends it to a true believer like him. Liz enters and asks to speak to Max privately in the storage room, where she tells him about the "misplaced" journal and what was in it. Meanwhile, out in the desert, two government operatives, Moss and Baxter, meet with Ms. Topolsky, who tells them that Liz’s diary is potential proof of alien contact.

At the Crashdown, Kyle stops by the aliens’ table and warns Max that he is onto him. Max goes to Liz’s house and lets her know that he believes that Kyle took the diary. His theory is given credence when Max touches a compact disc and flashes onto a scene of Kyle returning the CD while Liz was out.

In history class, Alex and Liz give their oral report on the Army-McCarthy hearings. Liz is devastated when, speaking on two levels, Alex says that baseless accusations tore apart life-long friendships. After class, the students admire Michael’s painting, which a proud Mr. Cowan has put on display in a glass-enclosed frame in the hallway. Projecting his diary frustrations, Max lashes out at Michael for raising their profile.

Max and Liz go to the Valenti house and, seeing that no one is home, break in to look for the journal. Finding nothing, they leave through the back door as Kyle approaches the front. Max uses his powers to prevent the front door knob from turning until they are safely outside.

The next morning in art class, Mr. Cowan wonders if Michael is ever going to draw anything except the geodesic dome. This is news to Michael, who had no idea that the figure was a type of post-modern house. Later, Michael meets with Isabel and Max, who tells them about Liz’s missing diary. Michael is stone-faced, saying nothing.

That evening, Michael goes to see Liz at the Crashdown just as it is closing. Alone, he tells her that three nights ago he saw her writing in the journal and, worried over what was in the journal, took it. He reaches into his pocket, produces the journal and hands it to Liz, telling her that he is glad the aliens have at least one friend in town. Saying that he is envious of Max, Michael asks Liz not to let him know what happened. Agreeing, Liz tells Max that she left the diary at the Crashdown and a good friend returned it.

The next day at lunch, Isabel notices the back inside flap of Atherton’s book. She points out to Max and Michael a photo of the author standing next to the very same geodesic dome that has haunted Michael.

That evening, Liz goes home to find that Ms. Topolsky is waiting for her. She rushes upstairs in time to see Ms. Topolsky coming out of the bathroom. Brushing by her, Liz goes to her room, where she sees her bottom dresser drawer open. Not stopping, Liz walks to the interior brick wall, loosens a brick, reaches into the opening and pulls out her journal