Xena (Lucy Lawless) ushers a criminal to his jail cell and is surprised to run across Joxer (Ted Raimi), who has been locked up in the same prison for stealing the guard's prized hen. When Xena laughs at him, Joxer begins to think that with some changes, he could, in fact, become dangerous. Meanwhile, Autolycus (Bruce Campbell), the King of Thieves, and a masked man are breaking into a warlord's vault. After stealing the jeweled sword they came for, the masked man kills the warlord with his crossbow. As Autolycus protests the murder, the man rips off his mask to reveal -- Joxer!
The next day, a nervous Autolycus runs into Joxer in the marketplace. As he quickly hands over the jeweled sword, he confesses that Joxer is a bit too dangerous for his taste and suggests that they split up. Joxer is savoring being thought of as dangerous when Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) approaches, grabs him by the ear and balls him out for making her wait for him. Autolycus is very confused by this and tells them that the previous night, he was with a man who looked exactly like Joxer, but he was a killer. Joxer reveals that the man was undoubtedly his twin brother Jett (Ted Raimi), a professional assassin. Deducing that Jett must be getting ready to kill someone with the stolen sword, Gabrielle decides they must stop him even without the help of Xena, who is away fighting Malcor. Gabrielle's plan calls for Autolycus to sneak the stolen sword into the castle chamber where Jett told him to leave the weapon and wait for Jett to make contact. Autolycus reluctantly agrees.
Autolycus enters the designated castle chamber, throws a rope out the window to Gabrielle and Joxer down below, and leaps into hiding just as an incredibly beautiful woman and her chambermaid enter the room. As the woman starts to undress, Autolycus shuts the window which severs the rope. The woman turns out to be Cleopatra (Gina Torres), who has come to buy the best army Greece has to offer in order invade Egypt and reclaim her throne from her brother Ptolemy. Cleopatra soon discovers Autolycus and demands to know who he is. He tells her that if she is looking for the best warrior, there is none better than Xena.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle and Joxer have let the guards take them prisoner in order to get into the castle. But they are released from the dungeon by Pontius (Jonathon Hendry), Queen Cleopatra's chief of security, when Joxer warns him that there's going to be an assassination attempt on Cleopatra. Pontius closes down all entrances to the castle and asks Gabrielle and Joxer to stay as guests of the Queen. Pontius, who it turns out is actually the traitor responsible for hiring the assassin, thinks Joxer is Jett. Joxer tricks Gabrielle and locks her into a cell for her own protection before setting off to find Jett. By now, Jett has found Autolycus who, at first, assumes he is Joxer. Jett tells Autolycus to charm Cleopatra into dismissing her guards and that will be his sign to attack. Once inside her royal chamber, Cleopatra practically seduces the King of Thieves and dismisses her guards. Autolycus then realizes what's happening and demands that the guards stay.
When Jett and Joxer finally come face to face, Jett begins taunting his brother as Joxer warns him not to lay a finger on Cleopatra or Gabrielle. Meanwhile, Gabrielle, who has managed to escape from her cell, disguises herself as a chambermaid and enters Cleopatra's room where Autolycus is lounging with the Queen. She and Autolycus decide they need to enlist the help of Pontius before telling Cleopatra what's going on. After Gabrielle finds Pontius to tell him who the assassin is, Autolycus and Joxer show up and Pontius' men draw their swords on the trio.
Believing Joxer is Jett, Pontius orders his men to throw Gabrielle and Autolycus into the dungeon. Finally, Xena appears on the scene and lays out a plan -- Gabrielle will find Joxer, Autolycus will find Jett and Xena will find Cleopatra. Jett continues his hunt for Cleopatra and when he enters her chambers, Autolycus is with her. Joxer then arrives and tries to stop his brother. As Jett moves on Cleopatra, Xena shows up and a fierce sword fight ensues. When Pontius and his guards join the battle, Xena handles Pontius while Gabrielle and Autolycus deal with the guards. When Pontius tries to kill the innocent Joxer, Jett surprises everyone by hurling the stolen sword into Pontius' back, killing him. In the end, Xena arranges for Jett to be tried in the town of Merimas where execution is not permitted -- Jett will be imprisoned for life instead.
Guest Starring: Ted Raimi (Joxer & Jett), Gina Torres (Cleopatra), Bruce Campbell (Autoylcus), Jonathon Hendry (Pontius), Larry Keating (Warlord), Christian Hodge (Prisoner),Benjamin Banse (Prison Guard), Russell Raethel (Guard #3), Nerida Nichols (Chambermaid), Jeremy Birchall (The Other Joxer/Jett)
Starring: Lucy Lawless as Xena, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle
Written by Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster
Directed by Bruce Campbell