As the debate over the legitimacy of Ravalet's shooting during the ambush grows, the family of the young Malian killed comes to recover the body. Elise Schiffman, the journalist, is getting more and more interested in what may have happened during the ambush. At the funeral of the young Malian, her behavior and the presence of the French soldiers sparks things off.
Shots are heard in a Peul village near the French military base. Anaïs wants to go there despite the refusal of the higher hierarchy. They must first make sure that it is indeed the work of armed terrorist groups. Anaïs opposes the chain of command and goes to the scene where she discovers a slaughter scene. But the profile of the victims dismisses the possibility of a jihadist attack. The mass murderers are said to be Dogon militias, historical enemies of the Peul and circumstantial antagonists of the jihadists.
Traoré, a Malian gendarme, investigates the perpetrators of the Makou massacre on his own and asks the French army for help. Although the Barkhane mandate does not allow for intervention in inter-ethnic struggles, Lefort sends Anaïs and a few men, arguing that if such acts go unpunished, the terrorists will recruit more and more from the weakened population. On the other hand, Ravalet and Mendy team up to locate an armed terrorist group possibly linked to the pilot's ambush.
Traoré's investigation continues and takes Anaïs and her men on the trail of the perpetrators of the Makou massacre, thanks to the information provided by one of them. Ravalet, Romani and Saadi are waiting in the middle of the desert next to their broken-down APC. The inherent tensions between them are exacerbated by the news of Saadi's mother death. Elise finds a way around the French military to interview a powerful Dogon chief, Bilal Issabere.
Anaïs is violently brought back to the reality of inner Malian struggles during her investigation with Traoré. Its dramatic outcome will weigh heavily on the young lieutenant's morale. Meanwhile, all the soldiers and the French staff are mobilized by Elise's kidnapping: she is nowhere to be found and Lefort, who was responsible for her safety, is very worried, especially as she is becoming a stake between the various illegal Malian forces.