Roman arrests Bo. Though Bo begs to be freed so he can spend the holiday with Shawn-Douglas, Commissioner Samuels refuses the request. That is, until Shawn and Caroline's protest forces him to relent and release Bo.
Jack and Jennifer's foreplay is short-circuited when he says something that triggers her memories of being raped by Lawrence. As she pulls away, Frankie shows up. Convinced Brady is the cause of her discomfort, Jack leaves. Frankie realizes why Jenn's been acting so strangely when he overhears her telling Whitney that she was raped.
Isabella runs into Roman walking on the pier. Both want to reach out, but the distance between them is too great. . . . Brian finds his runaway sister, Cassie, living at Marcus's apartment and talks her into coming home. . . . Kimberly's call pleasantly surprises Shane, who's touched to learn Kayla engineered Andrew's visit. Jennifer agrees to marry Jack, and they make the announcement. But the Horton holiday celebration just isn't the same --until Alice comes home from the hospital. As the Hortons hang their traditional ornaments on the tree, Alice stuns Jack by producing one with his name on it. "You're one of the family now," Alice proclaims.
Emmy is summoned to court to testify against Bo. Things look bleak until Carly testifies as a character witness. The judge lets Bo off with one year's probation and community service at the hospital. The job brings him in daily contact with Carly, but Bo guards against his feelings for her.
Lawrence moves into the haunted mansion and sends out invitations to his New Year's Eve murder mystery party. All of the suspects in Nick's murder are invited. Roman decides to attend with Whitney as his "date" to keep an eye on things. Julie asks Neil to escort her to the soiree - partly to keep him from spending the evening with Mickey and Maggie.
Eve is painfully reminded of her hooker past when Frankie interviews her for Whitney's book. However, she doesn't mind being comforted in his arms when she breaks down in tears. Although he insists it's just friendship between them, Eve invites him to the party, secretly hoping to change his mind. Frankie gets Jenn off the date-rape story by promising Dan an exclusive interview with Francois Von Leuschner.
"Tonight I'll find out who killed Nick," Lawrence believes. His thugs search the suspects' homes for a letter, which he knows the murderer possesses. At the party, it's announced that a "murder" has occurred; everyone is a "suspect." But the motives too closely mirror real life. After a fight with Justin, Emilio storms out. April follows him to the Cheatin' Heart, where she admits to arguing with Nick on the night that he died. She returns to the party with Johnny. At midnight, couples kiss: Jack/Jenn; Roman/Isabella; Frankie/Eve; Aprill Johnny. As Bo and Carly break from their kiss on the balcony, Bo sees something in the bushes It's Emilio - dead!
Ramirez died from a balcony fall, but was it murder? Melissa is beside herself. Later, Brian arrives with proof that Emilio didn't kill Nick. Eve tries to use Emilio's demise to elicit sympathy from Frankie, but he's not fooled. Lawrence's men come up empty in their search. April mourns with Johnny's support. He buys glasses and urges her to smash them one by one. After releasing her rage, April and Johnny make love.
Justin gets ajob offer in Dallas. After he and Adrienne check it out, they decide it would be good to make a fresh start. There's one catch: They can't leave Salem until Justin is cleared of Nick's murder.
Neil asks Maggie to accompany him to a conference. He's surprised when she considers the offer. . . . Alice becomes dizzy and disoriented while out walking. She hides the incident from Tom. Carly feels she's being followed, and so she and Bo spread the word that Carly will be alone on the pier at a certain time. He takes her to the lighthouse to watch for the culprit. While waiting, they act out a fairy tale, which ends with a kiss.
Jack spirits Jennifer away for a romantic getaway at a country inn. They get cozy and relax in each other's arms. "Let me help you," he whispers and pulls her into a tender kiss. Memories of Lawrence flash through Jenn's mind. As her pent-up emotions surface, she slaps Jack in the face and screams, "Leave me alone, you rapist!"
Update from January 22, 1991 issue of Soap Opera Digest