As the town’s mayoral race between Fred and Hermoine heats up, Hiram sets his sights on a new ally – Sheriff Minetta. Betty turns to Cheryl for help when she has a suspicion about the Black Hood. Meanwhile, the reveal of a dark secret forces Archie and Jughead to try and ease tensions between the Bulldogs and Serpents. Finally, on the eve of the mayoral debate, a mysterious message leaves everyone on edge.

After one of their own becomes the target of an unseen assailant, the gang works together to get to the bottom of Riverdale's latest mystery. Meanwhile, Betty works with a surprising ally to piece together clues about a series of deaths in the town. Elsewhere, a spiraling Archie sets out on a new path, while Jughead comes face to face with Ms. Mulwray, Hiram's alleged mistress.

Things take a dangerous turn when Betty and Charles track down Edgar and his Farmies. Archie and Veronica hold a car wash fundraiser at Pop’s to raise money for the community center. Elsewhere, Jughead’s first day at Stonewall Prep doesn’t go as planned. Lastly, Cheryl learns a dark family secret from Nana Rose.

As the gang gets swept up in Cold War paranoia, a new mystery brewing in Riverdale leads Jughead to suspect it may have ties to a string of suspicious murders in town. Archie reconsiders his future after Uncle Frank gives him a hard time about his poetry writing, and a shocking discovery involving her family shakes Betty to her core.