An old flame (pardon the pun) of Mulder's, Inspector Phoebe Green appears in this episode and presents him with a case of a pyromaniac. But fire is Mulder's worst fear.

Mulder and Scully must protect a British Diplomat, Malcolm Marsden from this firey killer as he and his family are suspected of becoming his latest victims. They fly over to America to stay carefully watched over by the two Agents and the Inspector. But it seems the murderer is two steps ahead of them as he has already disposed of the family's caretaker and is presenting himself as their caretaker. Little do they know he is a killer.

While Mulder tries to relive his relationship with Phoebe, Scully carries on with her solo investigation and finds that the villian could be using an accelerant to set fire to his victims. Guess what he's painting Marsden's family walls with.

Meanwhile, another case of this pyromaniac has come in as he had set alight to a bar and was causing serious damage. One witness is now able to give a description and a composite artist is now able to draw up a picture of this man. This will come very handy later on.

While the Marsden's are at a dinner party, the murderer strikes again by almost killing their children. Mulder tries to save them but is fear takes the better of him. Scully, though is able to put a name to the face, Cecil L'ively, who is on record for just entering the country. Guess where he's heading now. M & S work this out quicker than your feeble brains and rush to protect the Marsden's. When the composite drawing is shown to them they realize the murderer is their own caretaker.

Mulder this time is able to save the children who are in danger again and it seems that Cecil L'ively is about to die when he himself is caught alight. But the final words tell us he is doing just the opposite, "I'm just dying for a cigarette."