Special Victims detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler investigate the murder and sexual mutilation of a New York cab driver. Whereas at first, the case seems to be a tragic example of mistaken identity, it soon becomes clear that the man killed was the intended target. The detectives learn the man was a Serb military leader who committed numerous rapes during the war. The investigation eventually leads to two Yugoslavian women, now living in New York, exacting their own brand of revenge. Benson, a child of rape, is troubled by the fact that she must bring these women to justice when she totally empathizes with their motives.