Spike heads to Venus and runs into Rocco Bonnaro, a young guy who's smuggling a rare plant to cure his sister Stella's Venus sickness—a disease caused by the planet's toxic atmosphere that only rich people can afford to treat. Rocco's working for some criminals to get the medicine, but he's pretty naive about the whole thing. Spike ends up helping him out, teaching him some basic fighting moves and giving him advice. They share a meal and for once Spike seems like he actually wants to help someone instead of just chasing a bounty.
Things go wrong when Rocco tries to deliver the plant. Turns out his employer doesn't plan on paying him—instead they just want to kill him and take the plant. Spike tries to intervene but shows up too late. Rocco gets shot while trying to protect Stella, and dies right there on Venus. Spike can't do anything except watch it happen. The episode ends with him sitting alone smoking a cigarette, basically another reminder that good intentions don't really matter in this universe. It's one of the show's darker episodes with a pretty brutal ending.
"See you, space cowboy..."