In the past, Jack and Rebecca take the Big Three to the cabin. Jack is making a time capsule and he wants Kevin, Randall, and Kate to put something in it. They’ll dig it up when they’re 18. Randall obsesses over what to put in the time capsule because he wants it to withstand the test of time. Kevin doesn’t seem to care what he puts in it. Meanwhile, Jack is sketching a bigger house to build on his land. He knows he can’t afford it right now but it’s his dream house.
A few years in the future, teen Kate and Mark make it to the cabin. He apologizes for his behavior before. “I love you so much. You still love me, right?” Mark asks. Kate says she does to placate him. Kevin, Randall, and Rebecca are on their way to the cabin. Kevin says he’s going to beat up Mark. Randall brings up the fact that Kevin is never around so he has no idea what’s going on with Kate. Rebecca tells them to stop fighting.
At the cabin, Kate sees Jack’s World’s Greatest Dad mug. She asks Mark to use another mug. Mark deliberately drops the mug and breaks it. Kate is understandably upset and storms off. Mark continues to fat-shame her to try and maintain control. When Kate goes to get wood for the fire, Mark locks her out.
Rebecca tells Kevin and Randall that they’re not going to the cabin to embarrass Kate. They’re just there to check on them. When they arrive, Kate invites them in for breakfast and all seems fine. Randall realizes that the window is broken and that’s why it’s freezing inside the house. Randall notices that Kate has gloves on and asks her to take them off. She has a nasty cut on her hand. Kate says they got locked out but Mark explains the full story. Randall demands to know how long Kate was outside. Rebecca tells Mark to get out of the house. “Today is the last day you’re ever going to see my daughter, Mark,” Rebecca says. When Mark walks away, Kate breaks down in her mother’s arms.
In the present day, Randall’s worried about leaving Beth and the kids. They’re staying at her mom’s place and promises they’ll be fine. Kevin wakes up Madison and it’s a bit awkward between them. They both agree their tryst is a violation of lady code and Kate doesn’t need to know. Kate asks Toby to text and FaceTime her while she’s away. She’s worried because Toby has never taken care of Jack by himself but Toby assures her he has it covered.
The Big Three make it to the cabin. Kate and Randall still agree about not telling Kevin about Rebecca because of his sobriety and what went down with Sophie. When they go to the store to get some necessities and some wifi, Kate listens to Madison’s multiple voicemails. Madison spills the beans about her hookup with Kevin. A worried Randall comes up to Kate and Kevin saying that he has to get back to Philly because he can’t get in touch with Beth. Almost as soon as he says that he hears from Beth. Kate and Kevin tell Randall they’re worried about him. Randall swears that he’s fine. As he explains his situation, he brings up that he was in LA. Kevin asks why. Randall says it was a work trip but Kevin continues to press the issue. Kevin demands to know what’s up.
Randall finally tells Kevin about Rebecca’s condition. Kevin is in shock and goes into full protective mode but Randall’s already gotten everything covered. Randall and Kate tell Kevin that Rebecca didn’t want him to know at the moment and they were trying to honor her wishes. Kevin is pissed at both of them and storms out.
Meanwhile, Toby feeds Jack eggs and he begins to choke. Toby manages to Jack to spit the piece of egg out but takes him to the hospital anyway. The doctor promises that Jack is fine. “You’re lucky to have such a great dad, Jack,” the doctor says. When they get home, Toby decides to introduce Jack to Star Wars.
As Kevin processes what he’s just learned, Kate and Randall put a puzzle together of the family. “She tried so hard with me and I could never give her a break,” Kate says about her mom. “Now that we’re finally good, this is happening.” Kate stresses to Randall that he doesn’t have to take on this on alone. They can all work together to help Rebecca. They finish the puzzle but there’s one piece missing — Jack’s eye. They know exactly where it is. Kate and Randall go dig up the time capsule with Kevin. In the time capsule, Kevin has a picture with Sophie, Kate has a game of MASH, Randall has the missing puzzle piece. Kevin put it in his bag. Kevin knew it was perfect for Randall.
They also go through Rebecca and Jack’s things in the time capsule. Rebecca’s is Jack’s sketch of the new house. Jack left a tape for everyone. Jack recalls what everyone was thinking back then about the time capsule. He tells the kids about the bigger house that he wants to grow old in with Rebecca. Jack admits that he actually threw his sketch away. When he went to go find it, it was gone. He knew that Rebecca must have found it and put it in the time capsule because she always believed in his dreams. “Your mom is the kind of woman who buries a crappy doodle because when it comes to the people that she loves she doesn’t mess around,” Jack explains.
The next day, in both the past and present, the Big Three leave the cabin. Before he gets in the car, Kevin notices just how beautiful the land is. He still has Jack’s sketch. The episode flashes forward to the future. The house that Jack sketched is Kevin’s house. The older version of Kevin gets back with the takeout. When he arrives, Beth is there, “Everybody’s in with Rebecca,” she tells him. Kate is STILL missing and we have yet to see the older version of Kate. What if this is a hint about Kate’s fate in the future? This Is Us has revealed the future versions of almost all the major characters but Kate is not one of them. The mystery deepens!