Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Desmond sees a vision in which Charlie dies after triggering an arrow trap, followed by glimpses of a parachutist and a photograph of Penny. Hoping the sequence will lead to Penny, he brings Hurley, Jin and Charlie toward the cable on the beach. He does not initially reveal the full danger he has foreseen. That night, they hear a helicopter approach and then crash offshore. A flashing beacon falls toward the jungle, and they begin searching the next morning. In a recovered pack, Desmond finds a satellite phone and a copy of his photograph with Penny, strengthening his belief that she may be the person they are seeking.
When Charlie activates the trap, Desmond chooses to push him clear of the arrow, changing the sequence he had expected to follow. The group finds a woman suspended in her parachute and lowers her safely. Desmond removes her helmet and discovers that she is not Penny, although she recognizes his name. Flashbacks show Desmond entering a monastery after abandoning his engagement to Ruth. Her brother confronts him, and Ruth rejects his explanation that he was called away. Desmond later gets drunk on the monastery's wine and is told to leave. While helping load wine into a customer's car, he meets Penny. At the beach camp, Kate sleeps with Sawyer after seeing Jack dine with Juliet, and Sawyer questions whether she is using him to manage her feelings about Jack.