Late at night in a New York shop, the scavengers known as the Night People are foraging for goods to take back to Zero Street. Brother Dickens finds figurines of Captain America and the Falcon and dreams of his people having a superhero of their own. The group is surprised by a policeman but they overpower and beat him, leaving him unconscious in the shambles of the shop. Night after night they continue their raids, stealing food, clothing, and absurd trinkets and the police are unable to stop them….
At SHIELD HQ, Cap and Falcon assure the captive Mason Harding that his daughter is receiving the best medical care, and tell him his cooperation with the authorities in stopping the treason plot (last issue) will lead to a lighter prison sentence for him. Later, at a safe house provided by SHIELD, Steve takes a bath while Sam calls Leila for a romantic chat. During the call, two of the Night People, prowling outside her window, overhear Leila say she knows the Falcon and they kidnap her. Steve comes out of the bathroom to discover that Sam has suited up as Falcon and is rushing to her rescue. The distracted Falcon shoots high into the sky and is struck by a private jet; he manages to hold on until someone inside the plane lassoes him and pulls him to safety….
On Zero Street, the eccentrics of the Night People bring Leila before Brother Inquisitor who forces her to admit that her boyfriend is a superhero. Spying on the New York airport with a sophisticated Scanner, Brother Wonderful sees the Falcon disembark from the small jet with his rescuer, millionaire Texas Jack Muldoon. Falcon thanks him and takes off, only to be swallowed by the portal to Zero Street. He emerges from the other side into a trap and he is quickly bound by the Night People. Brother Inquisitor sentences him and Leila to undergo the Shock Treatment, which will cleanse them of the impurities of the outside world, making them fit for this hidden society….
Back in New York, Captain America is leading a search for his missing partner and learns that witnesses report the Falcon vanishing into thin air….