When a Marine recruiter is killed, the NCIS team quickly discover that a highly intelligent and skilled sniper was behind the attack. Initially, the team believes the sniper had a grudge against the recruiter, but when a second attack occurs the investigation takes on a wider scope. When Gibbs notices that the sniper left a calling card at each scene, he realizes that the sniper was meeting the recruiters before shooting. Hoping to lure out the killer, Gibbs drafts himself back into the USMC and takes over in the recruitment office with his "commanding officer", coordinating with DiNozzo and an FBI team.