While Ami’s Away, the Clients Will Pay

Ami and three world-class tattoo artists open a tattoo shop in South Beach called Miami Ink. The four men, along with their apprentice Yoji, attempt to build a thriving business based on their extraordinary art.

The men of the shop experience the stress of starting their own business & balancing their personal life at the same time. From filling their client's emotional needs, to an artists' proposal, the whole shop is overjoyed at their growing family.

Ami James & the Miami Ink crew deal with a heavy dose of loss, transformation & relationships from the past, present & future. Yoji and his fiancé Bridgette get married on the beach, with the sun setting into the ocean; even Ami almost sheds a tear.

The week begins as business in the shop picks up and Ami feels as though the other guys in the shop aren't pulling their weight. Meanwhile the steady stream of customers brings some new and interesting stories.

Yoji learns the hard way that he has a long way to go before the guys let him tattoo for real. The shop has a constant flow of clients & characters, including the first return customer; A former Skid Row band member gets tattooed with his kids names.

Yoji puts Bridgette on a plane to New York where she'll give birth to their daughter. Bridgette can only hope that Yoji will be able to make it up there in time.

Olympic athlete Mark Zupan comes in to have Ami finish a tribal tattoo on his arm. Mark's inspirational story teaches everyone in the shop the importance of teamwork. New parents Yoji and Bridgette bring Sydney to meet the guys for the first time.

The shop is really humming and all of the artists are keeping busy. Darren breaks his elbow, and the doctor estimates he will not be able to tattoo for eight weeks. Ami calls in a guest artist from LA, Kat, to help cover their growing clientele.

As the shop comes together, all the Miami Ink artists want to show off the huge accomplishment. Visits from family members reinforce their commitment to their work and to each other. Kat tattoos the Virgin Mary on Darren's wife, Carolina.

Ami decides to get back in shape to help keep him focused and energetic; unfortunately, he exacerbates an old back injury and spends the next few days trying to recover. A woman wants Yoji to tatoo her, and the guys are hesitant to let him go solo.

Ami and Chris take a spiritual and professional journey to the Hawaii and meet a master of traditional Polynesian tattooing, Keone Nunes. Keone teaches them about the ancient art of tapping and gives each of them a traditional style tattoo.

The artists of Miami Ink learn that with success come problems. Ami buys his dream car, while Darren risks his life and his career by drinking to excess.

Ami threatens Yoji with an ultimatum: if he doesn't improve his drawing, Yoji is going to have to quit his apprenticeship.

Nuñez's partying ways jeopardize his career and the shop's reputation. Ami spends time with his mom who's visiting from Israel.

Tensions flare when Ami skips town just as one of the worst hurricanes of the season is about to hit - leaving Nunez in charge of the shop. Darren tries to convince his wife Carolina to leave her comfortable Connecticut home and move to Miami.

Kat Von D is back, surprising the guys by dropping in from LA. Ami tries to get past the memory of a near death motorcycle accident. He's got to decide if it's worth risking his life and his livelihood to ride again.