Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Flashbacks show American soldiers capturing Sayid during the Gulf War and asking him to locate a missing pilot. He initially acts as an interpreter, then is pressured into torturing his commanding officer after being shown evidence of the officer's brutality. The interrogation reveals that the pilot is already dead. Sayid is released with knowledge he did not want to acquire, declaring that he will never torture again despite the American agent's warning that he may use the skill.
Rousseau leads Sayid to a man caught in her trap, insisting that he belongs to the Others. He calls himself Henry Gale and says he arrived by balloon with his wife. When he tries to flee, Rousseau wounds him with a crossbow. Sayid takes him to the Swan, where Jack removes the arrow. Sayid persuades Locke to change the armoury's combination, allowing him to question the prisoner behind a locked door without Jack intervening.
Henry describes his wife's illness and burial, but his inability to recall details convinces Sayid he is lying. Sayid's questions become a beating driven by his grief for Shannon. Outside, Jack restrains Locke and refuses to let him enter the code unless he opens the door. Locke complies and reaches the computer as symbols replace the countdown. He resets it while Jack stops the assault. Henry remains imprisoned, with Sayid still certain he is an enemy.