Several remote Arandas Army bases have been completely wiped out by what Suzushiro refers to as a ghost, as there were no witnesses left alive to detail the new threat. Independent Unit 8 has been ordered to the base at Kitazamahara to help defend the base from this new threat. Elsewhere, the schism between the Ingelmian Army officers and the Intelligence Division widens as both sides are racing to acquire newer Trail Krieger models.
Suzushiro tells Tokimune about the events behind his sister's death at Argent Point. At the time, Samonji was a Second Lieutenant and the leader of the base's security force which included herself and Quasimodo. Reika was a Sub-Lieutenant and the pilot for a new Trail Krieger that could use its pilot's brain to control unmanned mechs in the field.
Samonji and Suzushiro are both recalled to headquarters while the rest of the 8th Unit heads to Wishpe for some R&R, which happens to be Okui's hometown. The 8th Unit only gets a little rest before a mechanized Ingelmian party begins moving towards the town. With their normal command staff MIA and the next ranking NCO sick with food poisoning, command of the 8th Unit ends up falling to Okui.
Richthofen stops at a bar to meet up with his friend, Major Conrad. As the two reminisce about old times, Conrad reveals that both of them have been ordered to a forward base in Zong to help lead a full-scale assault into the heart of Arandas. Meanwhile, Samonji informs the 8th Unit that they have been ordered to quickly strike the Ingelmian base at Zong to blunt the invasion before it starts.
The episode opens with a flashback of Samonji meeting Tokimune's sister in the same sunflower field sometime in the past. In the present, Samonji orders everyone back to the command post. He later receives confirmation from his friend Quasimodo that the reason his supplies were late was due to an Ingelmian sympathizer using the same ship to transfer some unnamed heavy equipment.
Tokimune awakens to find himself sealed in the Argevollen's cockpit. As Jamie scans the readout, she realizes that the system prioritized protecting its pilot before shutting down, and only a manual reboot of Argevollen's systems will get Tokimune back into the fight, so with nothing more than a helmet and Private Koshikawa's help, she runs through the forest to reach the Argevollen.
Jamie runs into Tokimune as he plants flowers near his sister's grave, stating that he became a Trail Krieger pilot in hopes that he would quickly rise through the ranks and find the truth behind his sister's death. Jamie composes a message to her company demanding that Tokimune be taken off the Argevollen before he gets himself and the robot killed, but can't bring herself to submit it.
The 8th Independent Unit finally makes it back to a nearby castle before being told by their superiors they will have to move again to stop the Ingelmian advance and cover the retreat of friendly forces. Commander Samonji devises a plan to collapse the "Gates of No Retreat" by planting lots of explosives along the canyon walls, while his unit will buy time for Ardanas forces to evacuate the area.
With his Trail Krieger destroyed and no other options immediately available, Tokimune is forced to steer the Argevollen home with the rest of his unit. Jamie tags along to finish delivering the robot to her company, and reveals that the system has been slaved to Tokimune's own body signature so that only he can pilot it.
While the mechanized forces of Ingelmia begin to encroach on the Kingdom of Arandas, the 8th Independent Unit of Arandas is ordered back to their headquarters. Along the way, a civilian convoy is attacked by Ingelmian forces. Tokimune Susumu, a rookie pilot, disobeys orders and tries to rescue the civilians only to get his own Trail Krieger mech destroyed in the process.