Last we left our group, Matt (Andre Holland/Cuba Gooding Jr.) had disappeared into the woods while Lee (Adina Porter/Angela Bassett), Shelby (Lily Rabe/Sarah Paulson), and Cricket (Leslie Jordan) bartered with Thomasin White (Kathy Bates) and her colony of followers. After finding Matt with a mysterious woman (Lady Gaga) and engaging in sexual relations that Shelby saw him commit (and he has no memory of), Shelby went back to the home and potentially destroyed all hope of the group recovering Flora (Saniyya Sidney) by going to the police and having Lee arrested. The episode begins in the aftermath of Shelby's choice.
As Shelby and Matt argue, Matt begins to break down before his wife when he cannot remember what he had done. He finds that his memory fails him and the accusations tear him apart. Shelby, calming him down, decides that she believes him and now tries to adjust to their current situation. Later, as she is preparing to take a shower, Shelby is nearly accosted in the bathroom by a man with a pig head. When Matt comes to the scene, they run for their life until Professor Elias Cunningham (Denis O'Hare), the man from the video tapes, comes in and screams "Croatoan".
When the pig man has disappeared and everyone has calmed just a little, Shelby asks Elias about the meaning of "Croatoan". Originally a message left at Roanoke for those to find the lost colony, the word itself was of dark power and blood magic. As a "guardian" of sorts to the property, Elias also advises Matt & Shelby that they need to leave, as their lives are in danger for encroaching on Thomasin's land and the curse that results in death for anyone who lives there. And yes, even the murderous nurses (Maya Rose Berko & Kristen Rakes) fear Thomasin, as she was the one who murdered and condemned them to the land. This is caused by the Dying Grass Moon, a lunar cycle in October that for six days, the dead can rise and kill; the lunar cycle allowed Thomasin the ability to keep her "butcher" moniker.
Elias, now determined to get the family out of the house, is stopped when Matt & Shelby inform them about Flora, who was taken by Priscilla (Estelle Hermansen). Knowing where Priscilla likes to play, Elias leads the Millers into the woods find her. Unfortunately, the mysterious woman is also there, which leads Shelby to chase her on her own accord. Losing her, there is an even more terrifying moment as spirits murdered on the property start to approach Shelby. Despite her efforts to scream "Croatoan", Elias shows up and tells her she is too late. The lunar cycle has begun and not even that word will protect them. It is imperative that they get back to Matt.
But Matt, once they reach him, has finally located Flora: amongst those murdered in the house. She is playing a game with the spirits, seemingly safe and sound. Deciding it is safer for him to approach the spirits, Elias tries to advise Priscilla that she needs to give Flora back....only to be shot by arrows of the lost colony settlers moments later. Fearing for their life, Matt & Shelby head back to the house, where Cricket is waiting for them.
Cricket's initial deal with Thomasin does not look good: she has lost her patience and the initial deal to leave has been revoked. The Millers are now stuck on the property with the spirits looking to murder them. In order to try and reason again, Cricket goes out into the woods, only to return with an even darker story. The real evil is not Thomasin, but the mysterious woman with no name. In order to find out the truth, Cricket offers Matt to her, much to Shelby's displeasure, and is transported back to the time of the colony thriving on the land. The settlers had moved the colony from their original location to where the Millers reside now. Unfortunately, in order to thrive, a human sacrifice had to be made, which is how Priscilla met her fate.
Ambrose (Wes Bentley), Thomasin's son, is upset and with the rest of the colony, wants his mother to repent and to stop the sacrifices. Upset by her son and the colony turning on her, Thomasin instead turns to the mysterious woman, who encourages Thomasin to put them in line by enslaving them to her and this land forever. That night, as Thomasin pretends to repent, she poisons the colony, including her son, and murders them. As the final act, the mysterious woman murders Thomasin so that she may forever stay on the property.
While it seems almost hopeless, Cricket does have a spell that can put down the spirits for good and needs to return to his hotel room for the necessary items. Unfortunately, before he can leave the property in his Uber, he sees Flora dash in front of the car and he vacates his cab to run after her.
Later that night, as Matt awakes from a nap, he decides to leave Shelby asleep and finds himself at the root cellar, now open and lit. In there is the mysterious woman, ready to collect her debt. Unable to resist, Matt gives him to an "intimate experience" and learns that the woman was originally an English girl descended from the Druids. She had snuck onto a boat to the New World; the ship has misfortune and turmoil. When she was found upon landing in the New World, she was imprisoned and sentenced to burn for witchcraft. With her old magic and determination to escape, she killed her imprisoners and brought forth a new magic.
Meanwhile, Shelby wakes up to Thomasin and her colony walking up to the door....Flora in her clutches. Shelby's screams interrupt Matt's trance and he races back to the home. But before Thomasin can kill Flora, Priscilla manages to get Flora out of her clutches and Flora bolts for Matt & Shelby. Inside, Flora mentions "the man" to Matt & Shelby, but before she can tell them what happened it is clear: Cricket is the backup plan for Thomasin's wrath. Caught when he ran from the car, Matt & Shelby now look in horror as Cricket is disemboweled before their eyes. Thomasin, who knows they're watching, points up to the window with her cleaver to let the Millers know—they're next.
Will Matt & Shelby escape? What happened to Flora while she was away? Will Lee be released? As the moon cycle escalates, so will the story. Stay tuned!
