Cookie brings Angelo and Diana to watch Tiana rehearse for a fashion show she's headlining. The designer, Helene Von Wyeth, is an old friend of Diana's. Diana asks Jamal if he'll perform at a big fundraiser for Angelo's mayoral campaign. Cookie is reluctant, but Jamal accepts the challenge of performing again. 

Andre tells Nessa she needs to be ready to take advantage of new funding secured for Empire Extreme. Thirsty reports to Lucious that he can't find dig up any dirty secrets on Tariq. Lucious asks him to search Tariq's house. 

Cookie and Helene disagree when Helene wants to whitewash Tiana's look for the fashion show. Andre and Nessa come watch Tiana rehearse. Nessa wants the opportunity for herself. Andre apologizes to Cookie for missing the dinner with Diana and Angelo and tells her about his feelings for Nessa. He asks if Nessa can shadow Tiana during the show to learn. 

Cookie tells Tiana she wants her to record more songs with Hakeem, much to Tiana's chagrin. Lucious takes Anika and Leah to tea to discuss their living situation. Anika demands that Leah stay far away from her. Tariq contemplates using Leah to get after Lucious.

Nessa "accidentally" burns the dress Tiana is supposed to wear for the fashion show. Tiana explodes in rage. Tariq visits Leah at the doctor's office and tells her he'll get her out of the office, away from Anika. 

Tiana's outburst ends up on the Internet. Andre offers to smooth everything over. Philip introduces Jamal to virtual reality as a treatment for PTSD so that he can be ready to perform at Diana's fundraiser. Lucious walks in, confronts Jamal about his decision to perform and threatens to drop Jamal from Empire. Andre suggests to Helene that Nessa step in to take Tiana's place at the fashion show, but Helene is more in favor of choosing a white artist. 

Leah secretly meets Tariq again at the doctor's office. Tariq asks her to tell him about his father. Helene's little girl wakes up to discover that all of her long straight hair has fallen out. Hakeem confronts Andre about sabotaging Tiana for Nessa. Helene tells Cookie that she thinks Nessa should perform in Tiana's stead. Hakeem offers to help Tiana get back at Nessa and Andre. 

Helene warns Diana to get away from the Lyons while she can. Cookie confronts Andre abut what he did to Tiana. Lucious comes home to find an angry Anika breaking things, angry that he didn't keep his word about putting her in charge of A&R at Shyne's imprint. Leah walks in on the two of them getting ready for wild makeup sex on the dining room table. 

Leah tells Lucious everything about her meeting with Tariq. Jamal invites the entire family over to hear a new song he wrote about Lucious. He tells them his new album will be all about the family, and titled "When Cookie Met Lucious."