While the group at Oceanside trains for combat, evidence emerges that the Whisperers may have returned. Tensions run high over the borders set by Alpha, until a fiery crash disrupts everything.
Seven years ago Alpha and Lydia have their fateful first encounter with Beta, who grants them temporary shelter. In the present day the Whisperers embark on a long journey, but face a decision when one of their own shows weakness.
Nerves are frayed after wave after wave of walkers wears down the people of Alexandria – and Alpha summons them for a meeting. Carol struggles with her need for vengeance, while Aaron and Negan have a confrontation in the woods.
Hilltop faces structural compromise and walkers at the gate after a tree breaches the town's walls. While Lydia deals with bullies in Alexandria, Ezekiel faces the uncertainty of what lies ahead.
Negan goes on the run from Alexandria, only to find himself with an unwelcome companion from the Saviors. Kelly goes missing while she is dealing with hearing loss, and Ezekiel shares a secret with Siddiq.
With Daryl in tow, Carol sets out to find and destroy the horde of walkers that Alpha has been using against the community. Negan's latest play brings him face to face with Beta and the Whisperers, and Eugene makes contact.
Carol and Daryl attempt to gain intel on the walker horde from their new prisoner, while Siddiq begins to experience a mental breakdown. Alpha challenges one of her people to exploit Aaron's kindness.
A personal betrayal inside Alexandria shakes Rosita and the community, while Michonne and her companions encounter a stranger on the road. When Aaron learns the location of Alpha's horde, the group plans a high-stakes, direct attack on the enemy.
After a group of survivors is trapped underground by Alpha, Daryl leads them through a series of caverns to try and escape – though Carol is increasingly paralyzed by claustrophobia.
After taking a Whisperer prisoner Alexandria prepares for an attack by the enemy, unaware that Beta has found a secret route inside the town's walls. Elsewhere, an injured Daryl is forced into a game of cat and mouse.
Hilltop prepares for the walker herd coming their way, knowing they may not survive the onslaught. Eugene arranges to finally meet his radio friend face-to-face, and Carol search for ways to make amends.
As the Whisperers celebrate a victory, the survivors regroup and search for Hilltop's lost children – and Negan obtains an even bigger prize for Alpha.
Virgil leads Michonne to his home on an abandoned naval base, where she quickly finds that his story doesn't add up ... and that her own life might have been lived very differently.
Miko and Ezekiel set out with Eugene in a potentially misguided quest to meet Stephanie and make new allies. Carol is haunted by an unexpected ghost, and Negan finds that his new lease on life is short-lived.
Eugene, Miko, and Ezekiel encounter an eccentric loner in the city, and are forced to trust her after losing their means of transportation. The Whisperers march into Alexandria to find the town evacuated, and Carol tries to make amends.
The group's hiding place as the hospital refuge is surrounded by the Whisperers and their horde – forcing a desperate gambit to try and lead the walkers away. Eugene and his friends continue a difficult journey, and an old friend receives a plea for help.
Maggie returns with new friends looking for a place to resettle, and is forced to reckon with the fact that Negan is alive and free. As Daryl leads them in a search for Connie, the group is besieged by a dangerous new enemy that is hunting them in the forest.
An excursion for Daryl and Carol leads them to discover an old cabin, evoking memories of Daryl's life in the years following Rick's disappearance – and the woman he knew.
Gabriel and Aaron search the countryside for food and supplies, leading them from one tragedy to another – until they find themselves in a tense standoff with a lone survivor.
Captured by a group of masked soldiers, Princess finds herself separated from Eugene, Ezekiel, and Yumiko – uncertain of whether the people holding them are hostiles or possible allies.
Daryl and Carol go their separate ways, with Carol making her way back to Alexandria to try and find her place again – while Daryl searches the countryside for what he needs to get back on the road.
After Negan is asked to leave town to ease tensions, his solitude drives him to relive the events that brought him to this point – from his old life as a husband trying to right wrongs and care for his ailing wife.
