Dexter Morgan kidnaps Mike Donovan, a local pastor, and takes him to a remote cabin in the Everglades. There, Dexter confronts Donovan with evidence of the latter's serial murders of young boys. After being sedated, Donovan awakes to find himself strapped to a table. Dexter collects a sample of Donovan's blood before he proceeds to kill him. After dumping the remains, Dexter narrates that he is not sure why he feels the need to kill and believes he is emotionally detached from other people. Back at his apartment, Dexter stores Donovan's blood in a case containing the blood of his other victims. He explains that he kills according to a moral code taught to him by his foster father Harry Morgan, who, as a Miami police detective, taught Dexter to kill only those who "deserve it". Flashbacks reveal that Harry first decided to impart these "lessons" upon Dexter after discovering that the boy had been killing neighborhood pets.