For five years Oliver Queen, a wealthy playboy, has been presumed dead. However, following his being found on a distant island, he comes back home after having undergone a serious transformation.
After meeting Laurel, Oliver finds out that she's bringing a lawsuit against Martin Somers, a man whom Oliver is also after and who has connections to the Chinese Triad. Meanwhile, Moira and Walter try to get Oliver to run the company.
As an assassin named Deadshot rubs out one of the people Oliver is after, he seeks the help of Det. Lance. Elsewhere, Laurel and Tommy get involved in an embarrassing situation.
When a man is wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, Oliver tries to help him, believing that he is innocent. Elsewhere, Walter looks into the mysterious purchase of a warehouse by Moira.
Following accusations of being the hooded vigilante, Oliver asks Laurel to take on his case, but he ends up under house arrest. Flashbacks reveal what happened to Oliver on the island and his first encounters with Edward Fyers and Deathstroke.
With the Royal Flush Gang, a bunch of bank robbers, terrorizing Starling City, the gravity of the situation makes Oliver put things into perspective.
Things take a turn when the Huntress arrives in Starling City. Elsewhere, unfortunate occurrences force Tommy to seek support from Laurel.
While Oliver sets out to train Helena to help him in his mission, Walter looks further into the secrets Moira is hiding.
In an attempt to return things to normal within his family, Oliver decides to hold a Christmas party. Meanwhile, he tries to find the copycat who is targeting the people he is after.
After his defeat at the hands of the Dark Archer, Oliver's confidence suffers, and he decides to quit being Arrow for a while, but he comes to the aid of Laurel when she asks him to help her investigate the mysterious death of a firefighter.
Oliver grows suspicious of Diggle's mentor, which causes a clash between Diggle and the former. On the other hand, Thea suspects that Moira is having an affair with Malcolm.
Following Thea's arrest for using a drug called vertigo, Oliver sets out to help her. Also, Oliver learns shocking news about Moira from Felicity.
After a vicious criminal gets out of prison, he plots to get rid of his nemesis, Arrow. Meanwhile, Diggles grows suspicious of Moira, and Oliver resolves to ask her about names in Robert's notebook.
After he gets shot, Oliver asks for Felicity's help. Flashbacks reveal a crucial event that took place on the island in which Wilson was involved.
As Oliver finds out about a jewel thief called Dodger, he asks Det. McKenna out. Meanwhile, Thea is targeted by a thief called Roy Harper.
As Oliver and Diggle discover that Deadshot is not dead and is after Malcolm, Tommy hesitates to go to an event honoring the latter, but Oliver tries to have the two reconciled.
When the Huntress returns, she poses a threat to all that Oliver holds dear. Dinah claims that Laurel's sister is not dead, while Roy is hired in Oliver's nightclub with Thea's help.
Convinced that the people of his neighborhood have been wronged, a disgruntled man from the Glades goes on a crime spree in an attempt to punish those he thinks are responsible.
A young woman dies a horrible death after taking a new form of vertigo. Elsewhere, the Count manages to run away from the mental asylum, and Oliver recalls what Slade and Shado taught him.
After taking down several important figures abroad, including a United States ambassador, Deadshot goes back to Starling City, upon which a sting operation gets underway to catch him.
As Oliver goes after someone from the list, Felicity searches the laptop of an unscrupulous accountant and finds a clue that could be of help to Oliver in finding where Walter is.
As the Undertaking approaches, Malcolm sets out to terminate his work with Dr. Brion Markov. Meanwhile, Oliver tries to find out the truth by having Diggle carry out a ploy.
As Oliver and Diggle strive to foil the Dark Archer's plot to destroy the Glades, Thea puts herself in danger while attempting to find Roy.