A flash-forward shows an unknown scene at the White residence: the backyard pool contains a floating pink teddy bear with one eye missing, and men in hazmat suits are collecting evidence, but no explanation is given. The timeline returns to the immediate aftermath of the Season 1 finale: Walt and Jesse are held at gunpoint by Tuco Salamanca, an unpredictable and violent drug distributor, inside his headquarters. Tuco is thrilled by the quality of Walt's meth and has been buying in bulk, but his paranoia is escalating rapidly, and he has just beaten his associate No-Doze to death in front of them for speaking out of turn. Walt and Jesse leave Tuco's compound deeply shaken, recognizing that Tuco is too dangerous to work with but too dangerous to abandon. Jesse urges Walt to simply disappear, but Walt insists they cannot run because Tuco knows Jesse's identity and could find them. Walt proposes a radical alternative: they will poison Tuco using ricin, a lethal toxin Walt can synthesize from castor beans he extracts from ornamental plants. Walt cooks the ricin in Jesse's kitchen and conceals it inside a bag of meth, planning to offer it to Tuco as a new batch during their next exchange. Skyler White grows increasingly worried about Walt's erratic absences and odd behavior, and she presses him for honesty, but Walt deflects with vague reassurances. Hank Schrader and his DEA partner Steven Gomez continue investigating the surge of high-purity blue meth in Albuquerque and identify Tuco as a prime suspect in the distribution chain. Hank obtains intelligence that Tuco has been making large purchases and has become more violent, leading the DEA to escalate their surveillance. Jesse and Walt prepare for their meeting with Tuco, hiding the ricin-laced meth in a separate bag. When they arrive at Tuco's headquarters for the exchange, Tuco is in an agitated state: he has learned that No-Doze's associate Gonzo attempted to move No-Doze's body and died in the process when a stack of cars in the junkyard collapsed on him. Tuco blames Walt and Jesse for bringing bad luck and, growing increasingly paranoid, forces both of them into his car at gunpoint. He announces he is taking them to Mexico to cook for his cartel connections, and drives away from Albuquerque with Walt and Jesse as hostages in the backseat.