When Amy arrives with flowers for Captain Holt, whose uncle recently passed away, Jake is determined to out do Amy with a more Holt-appropriate sympathetic gesture. Jake sends the Captain a short email expressing his condolences, but he forgets to remove his personal signature from the email. Jake rushes to Captain Holt, who reads out the email signed "from my stinky butt".

As Captain Holt and Sergeant Jeffords leave for a charity event, Holt puts Jake in charge of the precinct over Thanksgiving night. When Jake wonders if Amy feels bad that she was overlooked, she admits she was the Captain's first choice but was busy with her boyfriend, Teddy. After they've gone, Jake briefs the squad while sitting in Captain Holt's office. The rest of the squad are only scheduled to work another hour, so Jake is open to suggestions for ways he can make their lives better during that time. Gina will now answer the phone with the phrase "uh-huh", Boyle is no longer banned from saying the word succulent, Rosa will work in the break room to avoid Boyle saying succulent, and Hitchcock will take his nap couch into the bull pen. Amy doesn't think Jake is taking his duties as acting captain seriously.

As Terry drives with Captain Holt to the charity event, he mentions how he's glad to get out of the house as his obnoxious brother-in-law, Zeke, is in town for the holidays. Captain Holt wonders why Terry didn't offer to be in charge on Thanksgiving if he's so glad to get out of his house, admitting he'd feel more comfortable with Terry in charge. Sergeant Jeffords tells Holt not to worry about Jake, who will be great.

Back at the precinct, as the squad prepare to leave, Boyle knocks over an item of mail which leaks a white powdery substance. The precinct is immediately placed in lock down mode with HAZMAT sealing the area off, forcing everybody to stay until the substance is identified. Jake phones Captain Holt to fill him in on the situation. After Captain Holt decides they should go somewhere he can manage the situation, Terry reluctantly agrees to let Holt use his home office - which Zeke is currently occupying.

Back at the precinct, HAZMAT have ruled out the powder being baking soda, meaning it could be toxic. Jake keeps Captain Holt updated via video chat, telling him it could be at least five hours until the substance is identified. Given the different factions trapped together in the bullpen, Amy thinks it's time to split them up and begin rationing food. After Jake decides it's more important to keep people calm and happy, Captain Holt sides with Jake, who he left in charge. In Terry's home office, Zeke is unhappy that they've taken over and delivers a few jibes at tiny Terry's expense.

In the bullpen, Jake gathers everybody together to tell them they should try pass the time by watching a movie. When a gang member is unhappy at the options for the movie, Jake settles on having a talent show. After Amy warns Jake the hungry crowd is turning into a mob, Jake serves up the food of the fast food workers stuck in the precinct. Amy again tells Jake he needs to set down rules quick to maintain over. After temporarily feeding the people, they demand heat.

After Zeke is understanding when Terry tells him his boss needs the office for longer, Terry and Zeke bond over their demanding bosses. Back at the precinct, Gina begins reading her will, scaring the other people in lock down. Jake returns with fur coats to keep people warm, but there's only five of them and they're now hungry again. Amy again tells Jake to lay down order, but he still won't listen.

When Jake meets with one of the lawyers to talk to him about the situation, Jake admits the powder wasn't baking soda but he asks him not to tell anybody else. The lawyer immediately tells everyone, sparking panic in the precinct. Elsewhere, as Terry makes a snack, he lies to Zeke, telling him Holt demanded all the food. 

As Jake struggles to retain order, Amy suggests he start detaining people in order to quash the uprising. After Jake dismisses her again, a fire is started in the precinct. When Jake calls Holt to explain the situation, Captain Holt says he and Terry will return to the precinct.

After Jake asked Amy to come see him, he tells her he thinks she should take charge. Although Amy is happy to say she told him so, she thinks he is still just trying to make people happy. She tells Jake he should be a leader and tell her what to do. With a new management style, Jake goes to the bullpen and gives orders to the rest of the crew, tasking Boyle and Scully with finding out where the powder came from. Meanwhile, before Captain Holt leaves Terry's house, he wants to thank Terry's family for being so accommodating. Terry tells him he will do no such thing, explaining how he and Zeke bonded over Zeke's bad boss. Instead, Terry tells Captain Holt he should yell at him when they go downstairs.

Back at the precinct, the HAZMAT squad tell Jake the powder is not harmful and that lock down has been lifted. When Captain Holt and Terry arrive, they are surprised to find the precinct calm.