Greenwich University, London, England, the team join the clean-up crew collecting the alien debris left behind when the (from the movie Thor: The Dark World) Thor and Malekith. Skye is fascinated to learn about the alien origins of Norse Mythology. The rest of the team begin to clean up, trying to ensure no alien artifacts get in the wrong hands.
Trillmarka National Park in Norway we find a couple, Jakob Nystrom and Petra Larson, looking at a map that leads them to a tree, surrounded by rocks. Jakob takes out a chainsaw and cuts open a tree. They discover a short and clearly extra-terrestrial baton in the trunk. Petra grips the baton and painfully takes on superpowers from it. Forest patrolmen find them and she punches one, sending him flying 20 feet away.
Ward talks to Simmons who is reluctant to climb up the dismembered tree to get a sample. Ward talks her through it. Simmons gets to the section and confirms that whatever was there had alien origins. She scans the section, sending the readings to Fitz back in the lab, who confirms its Asgardian.
Skye locates Jakob and Petra, who are destroying everything in the path as Skye sees on the news. The news captures the words “We are Gods” written in fire.
Back on the bus, Ward presents Jakob and Petra’s record to the rest of the team. Fitz has created a 3D model of the portion of the staff Simmons scanned. As they look at more closely, this may only be part of a larger staff. Skye suggests Jakob and Petra may have found it by magic, and Coulson tells the team they will meet with Elliot Randolph, an expert on Norse mythology in Seville, Spain.
The team meet will Randolph and show him the piece of the staff. Randolph suggests that it may be part of the fabled Beserkker Staff, dating back to the 12th Century. The Beserkker’s were known as powerful, rage filled warriors, and they got their power from the staff. Randolph explains the one Beserkker came to Earth to fight, but fell in love. He broke the staff in 3 sections, hiding each one. In poetic verse in ancient texts, it describes where they are hidden. Randolph suggests the text may be hinting at a place in Canada.
Coulson states to Ward that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in Canada have not found anything. Skye finds Jakob and Petra’s followers on a message board, but no word on where they are. She has also searched for Viking routes throughout the world, one of which points to Seville, Spain. Melinda explains they found one site where Viking relics where discovered, which goes along with the poetic verse Randolph read to them.
Ward and Skye go inside the crypt, scanning for any alien readings, while Coulson and Fitz watch their movements. Fitz advises Ward that there should be something close to him, which starts moving. Ward sees someone running at goes after them. He grabs the person and it is Randolph, holding the second section to the staff. Ward grabs it and a debilitating memory of child calling for help in a well, freezes him up, and Randolph escapes.
Skye runs to Ward and knows something is wrong with him, radioing to the team that the staff is gone.
Randolph, with the staff, bumps into Jakob and Petra, and some of their followers. They follow Randolph to his car and take the staff. They throw Randolph’s car into the street, alerting the team of their whereabouts. Coulson runs over to the scene but only finds a battered Randolph.
Fitz-Simmons start running tests on Ward to make sure he’s OK. Frustrated and unhelpful, Ward states that a memory was triggered but won’t say what. He focuses on the feed from the interrogation room.
Coulson interrogates Randolph about why he took the staff. Coulson asks if he wanted the power himself, but Randolph states he wanted to be the first historian to study it.
The screen suddenly stops. Simmons states that Ward’s readings are extreme, and turned the feed off. Ward starts to get irritable, and starts saying mean things to Skye and Fitz-Simmons, and walks out.
Ward violently hits a punching bag, the memory still haunting him, a boy trying to keep his head above water in a well. Melinda taps him on the shoulder and she quickly dodges a punch from Ward. She tells him punching something won’t help and that she can help. He goes after the punching bag again.
Petra and Jakob begin to build their own Beserkker army, having their follows touch the staff, giving them superpowers.
Ward goes to Coulson stating that he feels his condition is putting the rest of the team in danger. He confirms to Coulson that touching the staff triggered a memory had tried to forget, and it’s making him lose focus. Coulson states the fact that Ward is coherent enough to make a statement like that just assures him that he really can trust Ward.
Coulson suggests since he can’t get Randolph to talk, that Ward channel some of his rage toward Randolph.
In the interrogation room, Ward tells Randolph to talk. Randolph states he’s told Coulson everything. Ward lunges at Randolph with a knife, which Randolph calmly catches and bends. Coulson walks in and Ward states that he was right…Randolph is Asgardian.
Coulson figures out that Randolph is the Beserkker who fell in love and stayed behind. Randolph asks for no one else to know his true identity. Coulson agrees as long as he helps get the last piece of the staff.
About to go out on the mission, Skye is concerned about Ward’s temper. Coulson states he’s OK, and Melinda backs him up.
The last piece of the staff is hidden in a church, where monks first took in Randolph centuries ago. Randolph leads them to an upstairs level where the last piece is hidden but can’t find it. Jakob comes out of the dark and stabs Randolph with the piece of the staff. In order to protect everyone, Ward grabs the staff, sending him into a fit of rage, and he tackles Jakob over the railing onto the church floor.
As Ward and Jakob fight downstairs, Simmons tries to revive Randolph. Simmons isn’t sure what to do since his anatomy is alien. Coulson quickly shoves his hand in Randolph’s chest, trying to find his heart. He finally finds it and Simmons advises to put pressure on it to stop the bleeding.
Ward sends Jakob flying into the wall, and as more of the followers enter the church, Ward picks up two pieces of the staff, sending his rage and memory out of control. As he screams in rage fighting, we see the boy in the well, screaming for help. He screams for Ward, “Grant, please help me!” and at the top of the well we see a young Ward. He rushes to get a rope to help the boy but Ward’s older brother tells him not to, otherwise he’ll throw him in too. He lowers the rope anyway, desperately. The vision ends unclearly whether the boy lived or died. We see Agent Ward, exhausted, with bodies lying everywhere, collapse to the ground.
Petra bursts open the church door and Ward is about to pick up the staff pieces again but is quickly stopped by Melinda. She picks up the two pieces and fights Petra who is holding the third piece. They fight and Melinda disarms Petra. The third piece, like a magnetic goes to the middle piece, and Melinda places the last piece on top. Petra charges her and with one quick swing of the complete staff takes her out.
Coulson revives Randolph and he finally regains consciousness.
Ward asks Melinda, who confirms she saw a dark memory, how she could have held all three pieces. Melinda explains she sees the memory every day.
Coulson is tempted to pick up the staff but Randolph persuades him not to. Randolph states he’s looking for somewhere new to start over.
Coulson suggests Portland. Randolph agrees, but only if Coulson comes to visit and listen to his stories. Coulson advises if Thor is around, he will bring him by too.
In a hotel bar where the team is staying, Skye goes to Ward to let him know that she’s there if he needs to talk. He thanks her but abruptly states he’s tired.
A bruised up Ward slides the key-card to his room, as a battered Melinda does the same down the hall. She goes into her room with a fifth of hard alcohol, leaving the door open. Ward follows in after her and closes the door.
On a tropical beach, Coulson is getting a massage in a hut by a beautiful woman. He says he feels relaxed and all the things he hears about Tahiti must be true. The woman says yes, it’s a magical place. Coulson wakes up from his dream, questioning what really happened to him.