SYNOPSIS:

In 1987, we see a pilot named Ladd Dyer confidently arrive in Santa Monica, revealed to have been transporting cocaine. However, his life had been at an all-time low one year earlier. At that time, his marriage falls apart, with his wife leaving him and taking their son, Tommy (after being unfaithful to him), he needs to catch up on payments on his home and airplane hangar, and due to lackluster performance at the car dealership where he ...

In 1987, we see a pilot named Ladd Dyer confidently arrive in Santa Monica, revealed to have been transporting cocaine. However, his life had been at an all-time low one year earlier. At that time, his marriage falls apart, with his wife leaving him and taking their son, Tommy (after being unfaithful to him), he needs to catch up on payments on his home and airplane hangar, and due to lackluster performance at the car dealership where he works, he is fired by his boss, Jonathan. Before Ladd leaves the dealership, he overhears Jonathan talking about how he needs a pilot for an upcoming trip he and his buddies are taking. Ladd can convince Jonathan to hire him. Ladd flies Jonathan, R.E., and Norbert to Wyoming, though Ladd notices a strange red ribbon marking Jonathan's suitcase. In Wyoming, Ladd befriends a mechanic named Ernie. However, by the end of the trip, it becomes clear that what Jonathan and his friends are involved in may not be entirely on the level (especially after Ladd witnesses a similar red ribbon on her suitcase). Upon returning home, Ladd discovers that his home has been repossessed; his frustration and his failed attempts to reach his wife and son in Santa Monica result in Ladd getting into a fight at a bar, one he loses badly. Jonathan gives Ladd two weeks to sort himself out, or else he won't be able to use him. Determined to be reunited with his son, Ladd, desperate for money and a way to prove himself, sells his car to pay off his hangar and moves to get involved in the drug trade. However, at the end of the episode, it is revealed that R.E. is an undercover detective investigating the suspicious activities of the people working at VanHout Motors. R.E. is puzzled as to why Ladd is sticking around, which makes him the investigation's new focal point.