Drug lord Escobar escaped from prison. The government dispatched troops for a full-scale manhunt. The manpower that seemed sufficient to prevent Escobar from escaping failed—hampered by the troops' fear of Escobar's immense power, allowing him to break through the government's siege unscathed. Escobar's escape was a success.
Connie, the wife of DEA agent Murphy, argued with him over the danger of his work on the Escobar case. As Murphy tried his best to calm her down, his partner Peña called to inform him: Escobar had escaped from prison.
The Colombian government held a high-level meeting regarding Escobar's escape and entrusted the matter to Colonel Pison. Escobar returned home to reunite with his family, reassuring his wife that everything would be okay. Meanwhile, Medellín was swarming with police searching for Escobar, and the entire city was placed on high alert.
On the other hand, Colonel Pison, who had no regard for Americans, deliberately made things difficult for DEA agents Murphy and Peña, who were handling the Escobar case. After arranging for the transfer of his laboratory, Escobar ignored his men's objections and demanded a driver with a clean record and excellent driving skills to take him around the city—determined to show people that he was not a coward.
Judy, who had a vendetta against Escobar for killing her husband, wanted to take him down after his escape. Bernardo, who had left the Medellín Cartel, offered to help Judy. He proposed temporarily shutting down their laboratory until Escobar was eliminated. However, their partner Jaime not only refused to close the lab but also tried to collaborate with Ricardo, a fence-sitter in the Medellín Cartel, by revealing the lab's location to him. As a result, Jaime was killed by Escobar. Bernardo and Judy were overwhelmed with grief upon hearing the news.
Chica, one of Escobar's men, recruited Limón—who drove for prostitutes in the red-light district and had a clean record—to work for Escobar. Limón suggested having Maritza sit in the backseat as a decoy and began driving around the city according to Escobar's route. Meanwhile, the police received a tip from a prostitute. Murphy set out to arrest Chica but was interrupted by a call from his wife Connie. Fed up with the constant danger, Connie was taking their daughter to live with friends outside Medellín. Murphy rushed to the airport only to be told the plane had already taken off. Enraged, he beat a drug addict in the bathroom and was arrested by the police.
Bernardo, who stayed behind to arrest Chica, failed in his mission. Escobar was deeply loved by the poor for his charitable acts and was revered as a "great saint" in the slums. Through Duque, Escobar told the president that he was willing to negotiate terms for his return to La Catedral. The president responded on television, stating that negotiations were impossible, and offered a huge reward, calling on the public to unite against Escobar.