List of ''Orange Is the New Black'' episodes

Sentenced to 15 months for a crime committed 10 years earlier, Piper Chapman leaves her supportive fiancé Larry for her new home: a women's prison. Her counselor, Sam Healy, empathizes with her and tries to gently give her tips to survive. She grapples with the racial dynamics of prison life and learns some of the rules. Unfortunately, she offends Red, the powerful matriarch of the prison kitchen, who responds by serving Piper a bloody tampon and subsequently starving her. Piper is then shocked to discover that Alex Vause, her former lover (who recruited her into carrying drug money) is in the same prison. Daya Diaz, another inmate, is greeted by her mother, who is also incarcerated, with a slap to the face.

After insulting Red's food, Piper is starved out by the kitchen staff. She struggles to offer up an acceptable apology. With help from Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren, she manages to prepare a medicated lotion for Red's back. Alex gives Piper a piece of cornbread but Piper rejects it. The kitchen freezer is irreparably damaged. Red manipulates Healy into buying a new one. "Crazy Eyes" makes a romantic move on Piper. Bennett and Daya check each other out.

Piper's best friend Polly takes more authority over their soap-making business. Piper deals with romantic advances from Suzanne (Crazy Eyes). After Crazy Eyes submits a request to bunk with Piper, Piper firmly rejects her advances. After Piper moves into Miss Claudette's cube, Crazy Eyes urinates on the floor of their space. Piper's relationship with Alex is very hostile. The prison reduces Sophia's dose of exogenous estrogen in response to budget cuts. She asks her wife to smuggle pills into the prison; her wife flatly refuses, asking her "How fucking selfish can you be?"

Piper adjusts to living with Claudette and working in the electrical shop. She starts to make friends with Nicky. After Piper loses a screwdriver, the prison staff searches high and low to find it before it is used as a weapon. Mendez molests Piper during the search. When Piper returns to her cube with the screwdriver, it places more strain on her relationship with Claudette. After the search ends, Piper and Claudette make peace. Piper agrees to review appeal letters from different inmates. Tricia Miller schemes to prevent her girlfriend Mercy Valduto's release, but Claudette convinces her not to ruin Mercy's chance for freedom. After Claudette receives a letter from her friend Baptiste, she agrees to have her case reopened.

While relaxing in the exercise yard, Piper sees a chicken. When she mentions it in passing, Red recounts her dream of cooking a proper chicken and offers a gift to the person who catches the chicken. Larry discovers that Alex gave Piper's name to the Feds. To keep Piper focused on life beyond prison, Larry lies to her. Polly arranges for Piper to take a business call, but Piper skips it to chase the chicken. Morello ends her relationship with Nicky. Sophia asks Sister Ingalls for estrogen pills, but she refuses. The overloaded chapel ceiling collapses from a heavy cross Pennsatucky tries to hang. The prisoners work to clean up and repair the damage. Miss Claudette starts researching her legal appeal. Bennett and Daya pass notes to each other. Aleida advises her daughter to date another guard who can do her favors.

Piper confronts her mother. Polly takes full control of the soap business. Now believing that Alex didn't name her, Piper starts to view her fondly. Larry agrees to write an article about his fiancée's term in prison. Healy announces elections for the women's advisory council, and encourages Piper to run for WAC. When she refuses, Healy places her on the council anyway. The guards start searching for a missing mobile phone; Piper finds it hidden in the wall of the bathroom. Daya attacks her mother Aleida, for trying to have sex with Bennett. After saying he turned Aleida down, Daya performs oral sex on him, during which she discovers that he has a prosthetic leg.

Watson is released from SHU (Security Housing Unit/Solitary), and concludes that it was Piper who misplaced the screwdriver. Piper confesses but points out that Watson was initially sent to SHU for arguing with the guards. Piper, frustrated with WAC, states "this whole WAC thing is basically bullshit." Piper tries to make nice with Alex. With Fischer's help, Piper gets the running track reopened, which pleases Watson. Piper's appointment to WAC infuriates Pennsatucky, who was hoping to use her election to obtain false teeth. Alex tires of Pennsatucky's complaining and threatens to rape her if she doesn't keep quiet. Mendez tries to pressure Red into smuggling drugs into the prison, but Red refuses.

The flu bug circulates through the prison. Larry's article is printed. While Piper is happy that it was published, she is upset that most of the information is inaccurate. Healy reads the article and begins acting coldly towards Piper upon realizing her history with other girls. Piper and Alex flirt and reminisce while they try to fix a dryer. Pennsatucky locks Alex into the dryer. Polly gives birth. Daya is pregnant. Taystee is granted parole. Tricia goes into drug withdrawal. Over Nicky's objection, Red cuts off Tricia and allows her to go into SHU. Caputo orders Mendez to investigate how the drugs entered the prison. Mendez performs a very intimidating interview of Morello. To retaliate against Red, Nicky tells Mendez that Red uses Neptune's Produce, a vendor affiliated with the Russian bosses from Red's background, to smuggle contraband into the prison.

Mendez uses Red's smuggling connections to move drugs into the prison. Red flushes them down the toilet. Mendez issues Red a death threat and urinates into the Thanksgiving gravy. Pennsatucky and Alex clash over their views on homosexuality and religion. Nicky and Alex flirt. Sophia's wife becomes romantically interested in her pastor. With Sister Ingalls's encouragement, Sophia gives her wife her blessing. Sophia's full dose of estrogen is restored. Daya attempts an abortion using Mendoza's herbal teas, but Aleida colludes with Mendoza to keep the fetus alive. Later, Daya agrees to keep the baby. Taystee is released but finds that her support network is missing. Piper and Alex share a sexually charged dance. Pennsatucky snitches on them for "lesbianing together," after which Healy sends Chapman to SHU. When Healy visits SHU, Chapman rages against him for punishing her for being a lesbian. After suffering in SHU, she resolves to obey Healy and avoid Alex. Caputo orders Healy to release Chapman from SHU when it becomes clear that her transfer is unjustified. Healy calls Larry, to tell him about Piper and Alex's sexual relationship. Upon returning to camp, she has sex with Alex.

When Cesar goes by Bennett's apartment and asks how and where the baby will live, Bennett learns that Daya is pregnant. He is concerned that the system will discover he had sex with Daya, which could result in disciplinary action for both. He explains that his prosthetic left leg, originally thought to be from his tour in Afghanistan, is really from an infection when he had a cut and stepped into a dirty hot tub in Florida. Baptiste visits Miss Claudette. Tricked by Watson and egged on by others, Pennsatucky starts a faith healing crusade. Scared straight arrives at the prison, and the inmates attempt to intimidate the visiting juvenile delinquents. However, they have difficulty intimidating Dina, who robbed a liquor store from her wheelchair. Piper succeeds by telling Dina the scariest part of prison is not other people but coming face to face with "who you really are." Pennsatucky's faith healing crusade ends after she attempts to heal Dina by forcefully removing her from the wheelchair, after which Pennsatucky is confined to the psychiatric ward. Tricia struggles to "make things square with Red." Mendez manipulates Tricia into selling illegal drugs. When the tour with juvenile delinquents begins, Mendez notices the state she is in, and locks Tricia in a closet to prevent her from revealing she is holding the drugs. When he returns to release her, he finds that she has taken the drugs, overdosed and died. Fearing he will be found out, Mendez manipulates the scene to make it look like a suicide hanging. Nicky and Red blame themselves for Tricia's death, and both resolve to bring Mendez down.

Prison officials cover up Tricia's death to avoid an investigation. The inmates believe Tricia killed herself and organize an informal memorial for her. Tricia's death affects Mendez, and he vents over drinks with Bennett. Aleida, Daya, and Red scheme to cover up Daya's pregnancy. Daya will have sex with Mendez, which will then deflect suspicions once her pregnancy becomes apparent. During their encounter, Mendez uses a condom, so there's no evidence to use against him. Pennsatucky is held in the psych unit. After Piper learns that psych is worse than SHU, she successfully petitions Caputo to have Pennsatucky returned to the general population over Alex's objections. However, Piper's bravery brings Alex closer to her. Larry is interviewed on NPR, and his comments are particularly hurtful toward Suzanne and Miss Claudette, though he is kinder to other inmates, including Red and Watson. Larry's comments regarding fidelity convince Piper that he knows about her relationship with Alex. Piper calls Larry and confesses her infidelity. Larry reveals that during Thanksgiving, Healy told him that she was put in SHU for "lesbian activity." Piper admits to Larry that she loves Alex, which Larry sees as a deep betrayal. Larry then tells Piper that Alex did name her, thereby admitting that he lied earlier. He asks Piper, "How does it feel to be in love with the woman who ruined our lives?", and says that he needs time away from Piper.

Caputo catches Mendez having sex with Daya. To avoid a rape investigation, Mendez is put on unpaid leave. Daya tells Bennett about her plot, but Bennett is displeased that she framed Mendez. Mendez believes that Daya loves him, and he tells Bennett about Red's smuggling operation, after which Bennett informs Caputo. Claudette's appeal is denied, and she attacks Fischer, resulting in her being sent to maximum security. Unable to adjust to life outside, Taystee commits a crime and returns to prison. Cal gets engaged via text message. Red mediates between Healy and his mail-order bride. Yoga Jones tells Watson how she accidentally killed an eight-year-old child. A journalist following up on Larry's interview asks the deputy warden about spending cuts at Litchfield, despite an increase in the prison's funding. Piper and Alex argue, and Piper admits, "I am an emotionally manipulative narcissist who bailed on you when your mother died." Alex admits she ratted on Piper for dumping her, and lied to Piper because she wanted her to like her. Alex gives Piper a choice: nest with Larry or travel with her and be prepared for anything. Larry asks Piper to marry him immediately. Pennsatucky broods after being "beaten" by Piper, but her lawyer encourages Pennsatucky to witness to Piper. Piper "prays to Mr. Christ" for forgiveness, but she flatly refuses to be baptized. Pennsatucky sees this refusal as another instance of being "disrespected" and announces her plans to murder Piper.

Piper is awakened in solitary and, without being given any information, forced to board a bus and a plane to whereabouts unknown. After she lands, finally realizing she is in Chicago, Piper assumes she has been transferred for killing Pennsatucky and attempts to adjust to her new surroundings. After speaking with Alex, Piper discovers she is in Chicago to testify in the trial of Alex's drug boss, Kubra Balik, and that the stay is temporary. Alex suggests to Piper they lie in court about knowing Kubra, fearing he will exact revenge if they tell the truth. However, Piper wishes to tell the truth. Piper meets with her lawyer, Larry's father Howard Bloom, who strongly advises her to tell the truth. In the van on the way to the trial, Alex pushes one last time for Piper to lie about knowing Kubra, saying she (Alex) will be screwed over if they do not tell the same story. Piper gives in and perjures herself at the trial. Afterwards, Howard washes his hands off her. Alex then informs Piper that although she planned to lie, she told the truth, which complicates matters for Piper, who now faces perjury charges and additional time. Piper shouts angrily at Alex, who is being led out of prison to be released.

Pennsatucky is released from solitary after her fight with Piper. She makes a deal with Healy about what she will say about the fight, and in exchange she gets her teeth fixed. Daya has been constipated for the past five days, and her mother and Mendoza compete to solve the problem. Red's commissary funds run short because she no longer controls the kitchen and cannot aid her outside criminal associates. During a visit from her son, it is revealed that she has a grandchild. Red is taken in by the older inmates. A mock job fair gives Taystee a chance to show off her business smarts with a Philip Morris representative in a mock interview. She gets the mock job after she impresses the rep with her research on the company. At the end of the episode, Taystee's mother figure, Vee, shows up as a new inmate.

Piper returns to Litchfield along with a Japanese-American inmate named Brook Soso, whom Piper comforts until she becomes too annoying. Taystee's mother figure Vee returns, to disapproval from Taystee. It is revealed that Vee and Red know each other from Vee's previous incarceration. Larry meets with a journalist who wants to use Piper as a source for a story about fraud and embezzling by the administration at Litchfield. Lorna is devastated upon finding out that Christopher is marrying another woman. Daya becomes frustrated with Bennett when he doesn't know how to smuggle in prenatal vitamins. He later realizes that his prosthetic leg will work well. It is discovered that Suzanne became distraught after the pageant and punched Piper into the snow. This makes the fight between Piper and Pennsatucky look like they were equally responsible. Vee uses Suzanne's outcast desperation to manipulate her, and begins her bid to take back power in the prison.

Nicky and Big Boo engage in a contest to see who can sleep with the most women in jail. Vee offers to help Poussey sell her hooch to other inmates but Poussey declines. Red starts to grow plants in an old greenhouse as a cover to move contraband into the prison. Larry and Polly begin to bond more as Polly's husband is away. Lorna discovers that her love, Christopher, is marrying another woman. While driving Rosa to cancer treatments, Lorna takes the van, breaks into Christopher's home, dons a wedding veil found there, and takes a relaxing bath, nearly getting caught when he comes home.

The bathroom that Gloria Mendoza and her girls use has plumbing problems and feces coming out of the shower drains. Vee is appointed head of the African American posse, and goes head to head against Gloria's Latinas when they infiltrate the Ghetto bathroom. Fig, the assistant warden, refuses to fix the Latina showers due to budget problems, and limits shower times to 30 seconds as a solution. As tensions rise between the blacks and the Latinas, Vee and Mendoza make a deal in order to calm things down. Meanwhile, Cal and Piper's mom visit Piper and inform her that her father doesn't want to see her "like that" (in prison). During the visit, Cal reveals that her grandmother is dying. Piper is devastated, and asks Healy for furlough. Boo and Nicky continue their contest over who can score the most points with their sexual conquests. While Boo goes after the "small pointers", Nicky spends her time trying to bed Fischer, one of the prison guards, to no avail.

The inmates prepare for a Valentine's Day party. Red begins importing items through the sewer drain in the greenhouse with the help of her son, Vasily. Larry asks Piper to be his prison mole so that he can write articles about the prison's finances. Piper begins questioning prisoners and guards to find out where the prison's budget money is really going. At the Valentine's Party at Litchfield, Pennsatucky is outlawed from her former group of friends by Leanne. Poussey and Taystee argue. Flaca and Maritza share an intimate moment in the kitchen. Pennsatucky and Healy also share a moment outside the prison. Larry goes over to Polly's with all of Piper's things. He and Polly share a kiss, right before Pete returns home from his trip. Caputo invites Fischer to come see his band perform in a local bar, however she invites Luschek, Bell and O'Neill to come, too. Later, as Caputo performs with the band, he notices that Jimmy, an elderly inmate suffering from dementia, has escaped from the prison and is sitting in the bar listening to the music.

Due to Jimmy's escape, Caputo demands that the correctional officers and guards start monitoring the inmates more closely, and imposes a minimum quota for shots written. Taystee gives Nicky a cigarette in exchange for postage stamps for Vee. Red smuggles in styling products and other items for Sophia in exchange for maintaining her hair color. The Spanish girls continue to request contraband from Bennett. Sick of being taken advantage of, he threatens them with shots, much to Daya's dismay. Vee's girls continue to exchange cigarettes for contraband and favors from other inmates. Daya, Flaca, and Morello all ask Piper if they can help with the newsletter she has started. Poussey refuses to involve herself in Vee's business, but Nicky encourages her to get on Vee's good side. Polly comes over to Larry's house in an emotional outrage, and the two have sex. Jimmy is given Compassionate Release from prison. It is revealed that she was taken to the bus station and left there.

Piper faces a new backlash over special privileges. Caputo feels pressure to toughen up, which results in Fischer's termination. Also, Caputo starts to distrust Red's greenhouse but fortunately for her, Gloria moves her contraband before Caputo finds it. Piper asks Healy to revoke her furlough because the other inmates are treating her badly because of it. Piper calls her mom to tell her she was granted furlough, only to find out her grandmother died a day before. Rosa meets a young boy in chemo who she later learns is in remission.

Piper's relationship with Larry faces a real-world test when Piper returns home on furlough. Larry admits to Piper that he slept with someone else. Piper attends her grandmother's funeral, which turns into her brother's wedding. Upon Red's request, Piper visits Red's former deli, only to find it permanently closed. Red's efforts to redeem herself in the eyes of her former posse are finally rewarded. She intends to usurp Red's kitchen smuggling enterprise through her newly founded gardening club. Mendez returns to Litchfield. Bennett finds a cigarette and tears apart the black ghetto until Mendez stops him. Bennett is put on suspension and later reveals to Caputo that Daya is pregnant, and suggests that Mendez must be the father.

Piper returns to prison after Furlough, while Bennett returns after suspension. She lies to Red about the condition of Red's Queens deli. The guards get tougher in a bid to turn up prison contraband. Daya's pregnancy is revealed. Mendez is fired and arrested because he is believed to be the father. Piper figures out that Larry and Polly slept together. Vee attempts to join Red's business in the garden. Poussey gets drunk and insults Vee, so Suzanne beats her up in a fit of rage. Nicky decides to bring to Red the heroin Taystee gave her. Healy starts a therapy group, Safe Place.

Piper finally reaches out to Alex and learns that Kubra wasn't convicted. Piper is told she is being transferred to Virginia. Soso's hunger strike attracts new support that takes on a religious fervor. Polly leaves Pete for Larry. The prison newspaper is shut down. Sister Ingalls joins the hunger strike. The elders form a plan to kill Vee but Red doesn't know about it. The plan backfires when they stab the wrong inmate.

Vee and Red's rivalry continues with several confrontations regarding their competing business ventures inside the jail. The inmates are forced to leave their bunks and sleep in the mess hall as a storm floods the plumbing system. Red and her gang are concerned about being attacked during the night. On the other side of the hall Vee also warns her posse about Red. As the night continues, Lorna shares an intimate moment with a dying Rosa. Pennsatucky becomes close to Big Boo in an attempt to uncover details about their 'gay agenda'. Figueroa receives multiple angry calls from Caputo and discovers an uncomfortable truth about her husband. Red attacks Vee while they are alone outside, attempting to strangle her with a piece of plastic wrap, but fails. The two agree that Litchfield has changed them and they shake hands on a truce. At the end of the night, Piper escapes the mess hall to find evidence of Figueroa's fraud in her office but is caught by Caputo when the power comes back on. The next morning, while Red is cleaning up the mess made by the storm, she is slocked from behind by Vee and severely injured.

The prison hosts a special visit to celebrate Mother's Day, as part of Caputo's attempt to "soften" his regime in light of recent controversies. Piper finds out that Alex has returned to Litchfield and the two reconcile. Poussey misses her mother. Bennett struggles to deal with Daya's family while keeping under wraps that he is the father of her child. Daya and Aleida clash on motherhood. Pennsatucky holds a memorial for the abortions she has had. Healy feels threatened by Caputo's recent staff change decision. Red fills the hole in the greenhouse with cement, and is later visited by her family, from whom she finds out Piper lied regarding the store's success.

Litchfield prison combats a bed bug infestation. This forces the prisoners to wear underwear or disposable paper suits and causing some of them to become paranoid about the cause of the bugs. Red confronts Piper about the lies she told regarding Red's family's store, causing Red to cut off both Piper and her husband for dishonesty before Healy gives her a dressing down. Mendez's mother visits the prison and offers to adopt Daya's baby, causing tension among Bennett, Daya and Aleida. Alex struggles to deal with being back in prison. Piper reveals she ratted Alex out to her parole officer, causing the two to square off. Bennett proposes to Daya but has qualms about her extended family, especially the angry Cesar. Nicky and Big Boo find that they have been robbed of the heroin they were hiding. Caputo learns that the prison is to close due to budget constraints. Piper and Alex's feud comes to a head in the closed library, where they hook up. Bennett gets a crib from Cesar, but also witnesses Cesar pointing a gun at one of his children. He abandons the crib on the side of the road and drives away.

Luschek finds a buyer for Nicky's heroin, but is furious when Nicky says it has been stolen. Alex and Piper continue to have a contentious relationship. Caputo denies rumors from the staff that the prison is shutting down, but the staff is suspicious. Bennett disappears, worrying Daya. New staff member Rogers starts a theater class, where Alex and Piper reconcile during a performance. It is revealed Nicky was keeping the heroin for herself, but it was discovered by the meth heads. Luschek takes the heroin from them, but it is found by Caputo, causing Luschek to rat out Nicky. Healy recruits Red to help him talk to his wife. Caputo blackmails Figueroa into helping him keep the prison open, and she points him to a private company that was interested in acquiring it in the past. Nicky says goodbye as she is sent to maximum security prison. She laments that even after kicking her drug addiction, she may never lose her self-destructive tendencies.

The inmates deal with the loss of Nicky. Caputo takes the private company, MCC, on a tour of the prison. Crazy Eyes continues to deal with the death of Vee. Daya worries that Bennett has run off on her. It is Piper's birthday and she has a tense visit with her family. She and Alex begin to grow close again. Pennsatucky reveals she is still getting money from the anti-abortion group that considers her a martyr. Big Boo gets a makeover hoping to convince the religious group to give her funding, but she flies into a rage at the man instead. Red and Healy develop a friendship with romantic undertones. MCC agrees to take over operations of the prison, saving it from closure.

MCC invests in new mattresses and improvements in the prison, but cuts the guards' hours to part time. A new work detail that pays ten times the wage of other prison jobs is introduced, prompting the inmates to jockey for the new positions. They take a test and several, including Piper and Flaca, are selected. It is revealed they will be working in a shop making women's underwear. Daya tries to figure out her next steps without Bennett. Alex is paranoid that her former boss is trying to kill her. Poussey tries to stop animals from stealing her fermented alcohol.

Caputo interviews more part-time applicants, to the consternation of the other COs. A new prisoner reveals that a more appetizing kosher meal may be requested from the kitchen. Celebrity chef Judy King (Blair Brown) is arraigned on tax-evasion charges. As the prisoners begin making Whispers underwear, Piper flirts with a new prisoner, Stella Carlin. Lorna is visited by a series of civilian pen pals looking for romance, and takes a shine to a Jiu Jitsu enthusiast. Healy cons Caputo into getting Red back into the kitchen. Dreaming of love, a lonely Poussey makes and drinks hooch. Chang secretly prepares specialty foods for herself and watches Chinese movies on a cell phone stashed in a garden shack.

Suzanne displays a talent for writing bizarre, erotically charged fantasy stories. Stella agrees to contribute soiled Whispers underwear for Piper's planned dirty-panties business. Piper recruits Cal to assist in the operation. Daya wrestles with who should raise her baby. Commuting to the prison together, Mendoza's son teaches Sophia's son rude behavior, causing the two mothers to clash. The controversy, paired with Ramos nearly slicing her finger off, leads to Red running the kitchen again — just as the new regime introduces "boil in the bag" meals. MCC's failure to properly train the COs leads to a botched pepper-spraying incident. Norma's reputation as a miracle-performing mystic grows.

Suzanne's sci-fi story gains a cult following in the prison, but its latest chapter aggravates Poussey's alcoholic depression. The prisoners despise the new cafeteria food, and are angry at the rising prices of commissary items. Piper conscripts her fellow prisoners to wear panties stolen from the factory, and sells them online for a profit. Counselor Rogers objects when Healy prescribes antidepressants to Soso, causing him to angrily pass Soso's case on to her. Pennsatucky bonds with Coates, a new CO and part-time doughnut-store employee. At a meeting in Utica, executives at MCC are shown to be totally devoid of compassion and solely concerned with cost-cutting and profits. Caputo grows to despise Pearson, who proves unsuccessful in pushing through his suggestions about upgrades. Sophia and Mendoza commiserate about not being around to raise their respective sons. When Daya learns from Mendez's mother that Aleida arranged a financial deal to raise the baby, Daya confesses to her that Mendez is not the child's father. Alex suspects that a new prisoner, Lolly, may have been sent by Kubra to kill her. Lolly is later seen keeping detailed notebook records of Alex's every move.

With the help of Cal and CO Bayley, Piper's used-panties business is a rousing success. Prisoners continue to obsess over Suzanne's comically pornographic serial novel. Red is humiliated having to serve slop from a bag instead of real food. A rabbi quizzes prisoners about their alleged devotion to committed Jewish beliefs, resulting in a short list of approved kosher meals. A nude Stella chats with a visibly impressed Piper in the bathroom; they later share a kiss. Mendoza and Sophia clash again when Sophia's son is arrested on battery charges. Sophia learns that Mendoza's son fled the scene. Celebrity chef Judy King once again appears on the TV news. Outside of the prison, CO Coates kisses Pennsatucky. After Lolly breaks a window in a shed, Alex notices that a large shard of glass has vanished from the debris. Leanne bullies Soso and acts as self-appointed vocal leader of Norma's spiritual group. Unsuccessfully, Norma tries to teach kindness and tolerance to Leanne. To her horror, Alex discovers that Lolly has been secretly monitoring her moves.

A young inmate begins pursuing Suzanne romantically. Suzanne tells Morello that in spite of her erotically charged novels, she is still a virgin and confused about sex. Judy King is found guilty, but it seems that her ultimate destination will not be Litchfield. After observing Stella making moves on Piper, Alex confronts the pair in Piper's bunk. Visited in jail by his mother, a shaken and traumatized Mendez is told that he is not the father of Daya's child, which he refuses to believe. Mendez's mother informs Daya she still wishes to raise the baby, and after painful deliberation, Daya agrees. Morello uses Vince, her pen pal, to exact revenge on Christopher. Leanne and Soso continue to antagonize each other, with uncertain Norma caught in the middle. Using veggies grown in the garden, Red prepares a small pan of ratatouille for her kitchen staffers. Enraged that Sophia has cut off her son's ride to the prison, Mendoza picks a fight with her in the bathroom. Alex attacks Lolly, but comes to realize that she is just highly paranoid and delusional, not an assassin. CO Coates is reprimanded for being late after spending time with Pennsatucky. In a rage, he rapes her in the prison van.

Caputo agrees to help the guards unite against their heartless corporate overlords, while he sleeps with Figueroa. Due to a computer error, Leanne's sidekick Angie is mistakenly released. Caputo later recaptures her at the bus station. Big Boo learns of Coates' abuse of Pennsatucky and vows to help her get revenge. After injuring Mendoza, Sophia becomes a pariah and her salon empties. Suzanne's manuscript lands on the staff's radar, leading to its confiscation, and counselor Berdie is unfairly put on leave over the scandal. Suzanne appears relieved to be done with the project and apologizes to Poussey for attacking her under Vee's tenure. After Soso confronts Norma for letting her group bully her, Leanne cuts off Soso's hair while she sleeps. Flaca encourages Piper's girls to stop wearing the panties until they get paid real money. Piper agrees to set up a payment plan using cash cards, but then fires Flaca for instigating the uprising. Repulsed by seeing this side of Piper, Alex quits both the business and their relationship.

Daya goes into labor, and will not let her mother Aleida help as Aleida was trying to solicit money from Mendez's mother. Red runs an open lottery to determine who will attend her fancy dinner party. Following Berdie's suspension, Brook returns to Healy for counseling. He continues to recommend medication. Boo cajoles Pennsatucky into exacting revenge on Coates, but they back out before doing so. Sophia gets attacked, and beaten by two other inmates. Gerber refuses to carry the panties out of the prison, so Piper comes close to following through on her promise of sexual favors, but Stella intervenes and convinces Gerber to continue. Daya's labor does not go according to plan. An encounter with Frieda causes Taystee to realize that she is the new "mother" in the group. Poussey finds Brook unconscious in the library from overdosing on pills that she stole from the Doctor's office after being given a prescription from Healy. Piper reaches out to take Stella's hand while they watch a movie, but Stella reveals she is getting out soon.

Poussey, Taystee and Suzanne save Brook from her overdose. Piper confronts Flaca about stealing the proceeds from her panty business, but soon comes to realize that Stella is the culprit, as she will have no money to live on when she gets released. Piper exacts revenge by framing Stella for possession of dangerous contraband, resulting in Stella being dragged off to maximum security prison. Healy investigates the possibility of a romantic life with Red, but Red quashes the opportunity. Morello marries Vince, while Black Cindy shows a newfound sincerity in her attempts to become Jewish. She is however frustrated because converting fully requires a Jewish baptism (called a tevilah), which in turn requires a natural body of water that she does not have access to inside a prison. Complications arise concerning Daya's baby after Cesar is arrested. For the first time Norma faces losing her followers after Poussey angrily confronts her for her role in Brook's attempted suicide. Tensions between Flaca and Gloria come to a head, as do those between Leanne and Norma. Caputo, after promising to head up the staff union, accepts a promotion from MCC, causing the staff to walk out. A construction mishap allows all the prisoners to escape to a nearby beach and play in the lake, Brook is taken in by the African-American group, while Suzanne bonds with Maureen. Black Cindy, with unexpected access to the required natural body of water, performs her ritual immersion and officially becomes Jewish. Alex is cornered in the greenhouse by a new guard sent by Kubra, and her fate is left uncertain. As the prisoners frolic in the lake, construction crews convert the prison's beds into two-tiered bunkbeds, doubling the prison's capacity, and several busloads of new prisoners arrive at Litchfield.

The inmates struggle with the overcrowding of the prison. Healy gets Judy King a new roommate, Yoga Jones. Black Cindy battles with her new roommate, Alison Abdullah over shared space. Red attempts to stop her bunkmate's snoring but to no avail. Piper befriends her bunkmate and she becomes her bodyguard. Doggett is worried that Maritza is being raped by Officer Coates, although he is shown to only have feelings for Doggett. Sophia's wife tries to talk to Caputo about letting Sophia out of SHU but he does not listen. Caputo meets with MCC and they decide to hire veterans as CO's who will be housed at cabins on campus in order to qualify for government cutbacks. Caputo befriends Linda at the meeting. Daya is worried about her baby being placed in foster care since Cesar is going to jail for a long time for conspiracy to commit murder and assaulting a police officer. Racial tension arises as the Dominicans realize that they are the majority. Maria tries to stop it, but ends up leading an attack on a white inmate in defense of Blanca.

Taystee gets switched from janitorial duties to being Caputo's assistant. Red is both angry and jealous that Judy gets special treatment and that she is always in her garden. Piper loses employees in her illegal panty business as they think that it is becoming too dangerous. Maria tries to help her fellow Dominicans by asking Piper if they could join her business but Piper declines, stating that she doesn't want thugs. So instead, the Dominicans decide to start their own panty business. Caputo goes on a date with Linda and in the restaurant he sees one of the CO's that walked out working as a busboy. Brook and Poussey grow closer together. Poussey is a big fan of Judy but gets nervous every time she sees Judy and is unable to speak to her. Brook tries to talk to Judy and explain why Poussey acts weird in front of her but lies about Poussey's past in order to get Judy’s acceptance. She falsely claims that Poussey is poor and her mother is a crack addict and acts strange because Judy is rich and white. Judy invites Poussey to have lunch with her, but when Poussey hears Brook lied to Judy, she abruptly leaves lunch, insulted that Brook knows nothing about her. Brook apologizes to Poussey and promises to make an effort to know her. Lolly begins to crack and attempts to dig up Aydin's body in the garden but Alex stops her. Frieda sees Lolly’s instability and states that they are going to have to kill Lolly.

Sophia gets Caputo's attention by flooding her cell but he refuses to help her. Healy forces Judy to lead a cooking class. It is a hit, but Judy asks Caputo to change Healy as her counselor, stating that he has power issues. Alex confides Frieda's plan to kill Lolly to Red. Red tries to mediate the situation but realizes that they have to kill Lolly. Lolly behaves erratically and Healy counsels her, convincing her that she imagined the killing.

Due to the recent economies, the prison starts to run thin on supplies including tampons, causing a black market to form around the prison. The guards meanwhile start targeting the ethnic prisoners and subjecting them to random searches. While Caputo attends a convention for prison employees with Linda, Taystee manages to guess the password to the computer in his office and gets access to the internet. At the convention, Caputo gets into an altercation with Danny Pearson, who attempts to use the event to speak out against the system, and is arrested. However, Linda finds this hot, and the two have sex in a closet. In an effort to stop Maria from cutting into her panty business, Piper requests and is given permission by Piscatella to form a security group. However, during their first meeting, the volunteers (all white) begin to openly voice racist sentiments. Piper is horrified to realize she has accidentally created a white power group.

Piper starts to realize her power has corrupted her, and though she takes steps to make amends, a plan of revenge is already in motion. Her new 'bodyguard' turns against her, handing her to Maria and her gang, who brand the Nazi swastika into her arm. Lolly finds a friend in a kindly Healy. Nicky continues on her self-destructive drug binge. Caputo submits a plan to offer educational courses to the inmates in order to give them something useful to do during their incarceration.

The CO's power trip gets worse than ever when one guard forces Maritza to eat a baby mouse. Meanwhile, Blanca rebels against them by applying foul-smelling substances in order to stop them from frisking her. Boo turns her back on Pennsatucky when she decides to forgive Charlie for raping her. Morello becomes paranoid her sister is having an affair with her husband. Red breaks down, forcing Nicky to decide to get clean again. News of Judy and Cindy's fake relationship spreads after Luschek sells the picture to the tabloids. Piscatella orders Luschek and the other guards to search the prison and although they find a box full of contraband phones, Luschek is able to keep secret the one used for Judy.

Following the discovery of the body in the garden, the prison goes into lockdown. While Caputo tries to get past the red tape at MCC, Piscatella defies orders to begin interrogating inmates, starting with Red. Suzanne faces the wrath of Maureen while holed up the guards. Humphrey takes enjoyment in their clash and forces Suzanne to fight her, causing her to explode and nearly beat Maureen to death. The COs are spiraling out of control. Judy, Yoga Jones, and Luschek have a drug fueled threesome. Healy wrestles with the idea of handing Lolly in, and nearly commits suicide, before deciding to face his problems. He hands Lolly in to Piscatella, and she is sent to Psych A.

Caputo attempts to suspend Humphrey for his part in what happened to Suzanne. However Piscatella threatens to have all the COs walk out if he does so and informs Caputo he no longer has any real authority. The different prison families come together to discuss a plan to force Piscatella out and restore order to the prison. Though they initially fail to come to an agreement, Piscatella's unfair treatment of Red unites the inmates. They stand on the tables in a peaceful protest, refusing to move until Piscatella resigns. However, he orders his men to remove them by force. Meanwhile, Suzanne breaks down over her fight with Maureen and Poussey rushes to her aid, but the young CO Bayley quickly reacts and improperly restrains her. While everyone's attention is on calming Suzanne down, no one notices that Poussey is unable to breathe, and she eventually dies. Healy wrestles with his decision to send Lolly to Psych A, and decides to return to a mental health facility himself. News of Piper and Alex's reunion spreads around the prison. Pennsatucky unites with Boo. Sophia returns to the prison.

Following Poussey's death, MCC tells Caputo to hold off on calling the police until they can develop an angle, while Taystee urges Caputo to at least call Poussey's dad, and break the news to him. Soso wanders into the library to find Suzanne trapped under a fallen shelf. She rescues Suzanne, but in medical, Suzanne gets put next to Maureen who is still recovering from the beating Suzanne gave her. Piper finds out that Alex has been leaving notes around the prison, revealing Aydin's real name, and then the two of them track down the notes, and prepare to burn them. MCC grants release to Judy King wanting to get her away from the crisis. Caputo ignores the MCC prep, and on camera refuses to fire Bayley. Taystee overhears, and snaps — she incites the other inmates, who all march through the hallways of the prison, and eventually converge on where Judy King is being escorted out of prison. Humphrey instinctively goes for the gun in his sock, but Maritza pushes him over, and it slides across to the Hispanics, and Daya picks it up. She initially takes aim at the white supremacists, but instead takes Humphrey and Artesian McCullough hostage, cocks the gun and takes aim at Humphrey's head, while all the inmates present collectively urge her to pull the trigger.

The prison stays under control of the inmates, who are holding several corrections officers hostage. The Hispanics force the COs to strip down to their underwear in front of a packed chapel. The video of Caputo, meant to spark outrage, instead gets mocked with memes featuring the hashtag #BlackLattesMatter because Cindy is shown drinking a latte. Humphrey, who suffered major blood loss, has a stroke in the prison infirmary, which is staffed by only a nurse. Daya, nearing an emotional breakdown worrying over her future, claims she lost the gun; while CO Artesian McCullough suspects the gun is gone. Taystee uploads a photo of all the COs, plus Caputo, in their underwear. It is revealed that Frieda has a secret "bunker" built out of an unused pool that was never filled in, also stocked with food she has hoarded.

Worried over the public backlash — and celebrity chef Judy King —, MCC decides to give in to the inmates and meet their demands. Linda tries to fit in with the inmates, but is shocked at the substandard conditions of the prison. Piper and Alex, looking at Linda's phone, are shocked to find photos of her kissing Caputo. The inmates work together to compile a list of demands, which includes reinstating the GED program, better healthcare, amnesty for the inmates involved in the riot, the arrest of CO Bayley for Poussey's death, and Flaming Hot Cheetos. Bayley, meanwhile, goes to the police station and tries to confess murder, but the police dismiss him as a drunk veteran back from the Iraq War with PTSD and put him in the drunk tank. A frightened Judy King, a victim of a random pantsing by meth heads Angie and Leanne, attempts to escape but is attacked by the white supremacists. The COs, locked in a room, plot to regain control of the prison after Artesian's tip that the inmates do not have the gun anymore. As they prepare to attack the inmates, Caputo sees Linda among them.

The COs, who are preparing to attack once they are brought food, abort the mission on Caputo's command. Meth heads Angie and Leanne try to pants Gloria, and the gun falls to the crowd, which they recover. High, they want the COs to perform a talent show for their enjoyment. The "talents" include singing from CO Dixon; a Mormon-themed magic show from CO Blake; an Italian monologue from Josh; and a strip show from CO Stratman. Leanne declares Josh the winner merely because he is the prettiest. Suzanne, who believes Poussey's spirit is still where she died, sets up a shrine on the spot of her death and organizes a séance. Blanca and Red, high on amphetamines that Blanca claimed were vitamins, raid the administrative files looking for dirt on the COs. They discover that Piscatella was transferred to Litchfield from a male prison after the death of an inmate, who was discovered in the shower with burns on 80% of his body. Judy King is tied to a board, crucifixion-style, by the white supremacists, who think she has a stash of food. She lies to them and says she is expecting a drop of supplies on the roof of the prison from a helicopter. They go up to the roof and realizing she lied, they try to throw her off, and she faints. Then, a helicopter arrives, but it is a news helicopter carrying cameramen, who take photos and record Judy tied up and unconscious.

Video of Judy King is widely misreported as a terrorist attack against Christians, as the white supremacists had their heads covered and are mistaken for Muslims. The governor is livid about MCC's passive stance and sends his own team to Litchfield. On the outside, Aleida struggles to find employment. Gloria calls her but is unable to tell her about Daya. Janae, Alison, Black Cindy and Taystee free Judy in order to stop the disinformation about the situation. They clean her up and have Josh give her talking points, before all four go outside to face the press. Judy begins to give her statement but Taystee interrupts her with an emotional speech about how Judy was kept separately from them because of her wealth and status. She says their fight is not with Judy but with the system that punishes poor and black people. Meanwhile, Angie and Leanne find Charlie Coates in the laundry room after he had been with Pennsatucky. They plan to take him hostage but Pennsatucky grabs the gun from Angie's waistband. She throws the gun to Charlie and it accidentally fires, shooting Leanne in the finger. Charlie uses the weapon to escape the prison and goes outside, where the CERT greets him with guns drawn; then, he faints.

The inmates organize a mock trial for Pennsatucky, with Big Boo acting as her representative. Using Saved by the Bell episodes, Big Boo casts doubt on Angie's credibility, and Pennsatucky is given community service as a sentence. Aleida appears on the local news to talk about Litchfield, but it is a disaster. Lorna has sex with Nicky and realizes she is pregnant. The inmates receive boxes of Flaming Hot Cheetos and tampons from the governor, who wants them to release the hostages. They refuse to do so until the rest of their demands are met. Then, they have a bonfire of Cheetos in front of the press.

Red and Blanca send text messages from Humphrey' phone to Piscatella claiming the inmates are not armed anymore and encouraging him to break into the prison via a window at night. He takes the information to the CERT, who blow him off. Aleida does a live TV interview with Meredith Vieira and Judy King, who breaks the news about Humphrey being shot. She does not remember the shooter's name but describes Daya, leaving Aleida in shock. The news reaches Piscatella, who is mocked by the CERT members. Figueroa returns to the prison, this time as a negotiator for MCC. She claims they cannot afford to meet the inmates' demands, but Taystee — who has done her research via the Internet and Caputo's files — shuts her down. However, once Figueroa receives a phone call about Humphrey, she says amnesty for all the inmates is off the table. After a discussion with Piper and others, Taystee agrees to hand over Daya, who first calls Mendez's mother to ask her to adopt her daughter out of foster care and asks her to give the child some space due to Aleida's control she received when she was younger. Gloria learns that her son is in the ICU after being severely beaten. Piscatella, after texting "Humphrey" that he was going to stand down, enters the prison after dark instead.

Red, coming down from her drug high, is nursed by Nicky, who thinks her warnings about Piscatella being in the prison are hallucinations. Piscatella, in full riot gear, attacks Blanca in a utility room, where she had gone to set a boobytrap in case he showed up anyway. Inmates begin disappearing one by one, including Nicky and Boo, but nobody believes Red. Gloria begs Caputo — locked in a Porta-Potty — to let her out on furlough to see her son, but Caputo says he cannot help her until she lets the hostages go. After Boo disappears, Linda desperately seeks out Caputo, who was let out to back up the inmates' claim of slave labor to Figueroa. Zirconia, who had turned Linda's high heels into shivs after Piper and Alex first found her, recognizes her as a hostage, but Linda runs away with one of the shoe shivs. Lorna, hurt by Nicky's comments that her pregnancy is all in her head, convinces Suzanne to stop taking her psych medicine. Red finds Frieda's map to the "bunker" in her cooking book and discovers Piscatella prisoners on her way there by accident. However, while trying to free them, Piscatella arrives.

Piscatella has Red, Piper, Alex and other inmates tied up in a room, where he uses a knife to cut off Red's hair. Piper gets the duct tape off her mouth and yells for help, which is heard by Gina, who is holed up playing cards in Frieda's basement "bunker" with Yoga Jones, Anita and other inmates. The entrance to the room they are in leads to where Piscatella is. Gloria tries to free the prison guards but is interrupted. Maureen, who has still not recovered from the beating, is found delirious in the bathroom by Suzanne, who takes her to the infirmary. Suzanne, by now in a psychotic state, finds Humphrey dead. Gina lures Piscatella into the basement, where Frieda knocks him out with a homemade poison dart.

The guards — except Luschek — are led to the MCC management, but are led by Maria, who wants to get out to see her little girl. Maria explains the "deal" to shorten her sentence if she lets the guards go, but is told by a state employee that that is not possible. The MCC learns that it was not Taystee who sent out the guards as part of an acceptance of the negotiation, and decide to send the CERT in to end the riot. Lorna shows half a dozen positive pregnancy tests to a stunned Nicky, who calls her husband and convinces him to take responsibility. Linda makes excuses to Big Boo, telling her that she now understands the inmates are not living in a decent environment, but Big Boo is unmoved and demands Linda send her US$5,000 via PayPal to keep the secret of her affair with Caputo. A distraught Bayley travels by bus to meet Poussey's father and confess that her death was his fault. Her father angrily tells him that he is not going to give Bayley the peace he seeks by forgiving him, nor punish him by beating him, and that his punishment will be having to live the rest of his life with what he has done — which is a better fate, he says, than the fate Poussey got. Pennsatucky escapes from the prison via the hole in the fence and breaks into Charlie's cabin. In Frieda's "bunker", Piper proposes to Alex, who says yes. Taystee discovers the guards escaped and tries to go to the prison doors to talk to the CERT officers, but it is too late as they immediately swarm Litchfield.