Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett is escorting a high-priority prisoner, Victor Hesse, out of S. Korea, when he receives a phone call from his father. Turns out Victor Hesse's brother has McGarrett's father at gunpoint and plans on killing him if Steve doesn't let his Victor go. Things get out of control, Steve's father is shot and Victor escapes. When McGarrett returns to Hawaii for his father's funeral, the Governor asks him to head a special task force to investigate his father's death - she wants someone outside of the Honolulu PD because of rumors of corruption within the dept. Reluctantly McGarrett agrees; he chooses the HPD detective assigned to investigate his father's murder, newcomer Danny Williams. He also recruits someone his father trusted, Chin Ho Kelly, who has recently been ousted from the department. To fill out his team, Chin Ho recruits his cousin, Kono Kalakaua, who is still in training. Together, they track down Victor Hesse as he's about to make his escape from the island. After a huge fight, McGarrett shoots Hesse, who disappears into the water.