A poker chip in the pocket of a dead man leads the CBI to a small casino in the middle of the California desert. While there, Jane runs in to Jack Hellion, a stage magician he used to tour with during his career as a mentalist. While Lisbon and the team attempt to retrace the steps of their victim in order to find the killer, Jane gets Hellion to admit a shocking secret - someone is holding his girlfriend hostage until he robs the casino for them.