Peter Petrelli brings Hiro Nakamura to the hospital, where Hiro reveals his terminal state due to his brain tumor. Peter decides that perhaps Hiro had come to him to be saved and, after borrowing his power, visits Noah Bennet to see if he knows of anyone that could help. Knowing that Hiro has a tumor, which is living tissue, and Claire’s regenerative blood will only enlarge the tumor, Noah recalls a boy, Jeremy Greer, whom the company had studied during his time at Primatech that had the ability to instantly heal near-death living things. Peter and Noah teleport to his house, where they find Jeremy’s parents dead.

Noah realizes that Jeremy’s power may have changed to be able to take away life as well as give it. They are soon interrupted by Jeremy, who attempts to shoot them with a shotgun. Jeremy waits upstairs as Noah attempts to talk to him as he heads up, while Peter heads up a staircase in the back. Noah tries to tell him that his healing ability may still be there, but Peter teleports in and pushes Noah away. Jeremy fires and Peter stops time, but finds he wasn’t fast enough as he turns to see his own blood spattering behind him. Peter collapses as time reverts to normal, and Noah convinces Jeremy to use his ability to heal Peter. Concentrating, Jeremy is able to do so. Having acquired Jeremy’s ability, Peter leaves to go save Hiro, while Noah calls the police about Jeremy’s parents and waits with Jeremy. Peter returns to the hospital but finds Hiro gone, having only left a message: “Save Charlie.”

Sylar is still unable to remember anything, and Samuel Sullivan attempts to have Sylar remember who he once was. Sylar instead finds himself remembering Nathan Petrelli’s memories, and Samuel decides to have someone else in the circus, Damien, return Sylar’s true memories. In the house of mirrors, Damien touches Sylar’s head, and Sylar begins recalling everything, including his mother’s death as well as the many people he’s killed, but he doesn’t seem to recognize them and is horrified.

Meanwhile, Samuel invites the police detective who had attempted to arrest Sylar earlier to his circus, in an attempt to bait Sylar into his old ways. Samuel tells Sylar where he his, implying he go kill him, and Sylar finds the detective in the house of mirrors. Sylar tries to tell him to leave, but he involuntarily hits him with his electric powers. The detective manages to get up, and Sylar approaches him, seemingly intending to kill him. However, Sylar stops and instead turns to leave. At this point, Edgar rushes in and slashes the detective to death. Later, Sylar is welcomed into Samuel’s family, with Lydia taking a particular liking to him. Edgar questions what use Sylar will be to them, though Samuel assures him he will be in time.

Emma Coolidge is trying to understand her newly manifesting ability, and tries to ask Peter about it, but he directs her to ask Hiro as he leaves to meet with Noah. Emma asks Hiro how she can get rid of her powers, but Hiro asserts that is a part of who she is. Hiro resolves to convince Emma to embrace her new ability, and later invites Emma to come to a magic show he is putting on for the kids in the hospital. Hiro has her help him in a disappearing act, where he stops time as the kids clap. Having touched Hiro, Emma is fascinated by the colors emanating from the applause.

Later, Emma asks Hiro how he can stay so focused in the face of death, and Hiro mentions that he knew someone who also was dying but kept a positive attitude. Hiro reveals it to be Charlie Andrews, a waitress in Texas who had been one of Sylar’s first victims and was dying from a brain aneurism. Hiro says he intends to save her, as he has been keeping a list to correct all the wrongs he’s done. Emma tells him to wait for Peter first. Later, Emma plays the piano as Hiro watches. Emma tells him to head back to his room, but as Hiro turns to leave, he vanishes. Hiro is then shown to have traveled back in time three years, standing outside the diner where Charlie worked.

“Tabula Rasa” is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes and sixty-fourth episode overall. The episode aired on October 19, 2009.

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