After the catastrophic events of Wildfire, the S.C.E. crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci is in disarray. Half of the ship's complement were killed at Galvan VI, and the survivors must put their lives back together. Corsi, accompanied by Stevens, tries to make amends with her long-estranged father. Abramowitz attempts to lose herself in her work, only to be confronted with an old rival -- and her own emotional fears. P8 Blue goes home to find her world confronting a crisis that threatens the Nasat's very existence.

But it is Captain Gold and Commander Gomez who face the most difficult trials, as they find the road to recovery a difficult one. Each confronts demons from the past and the uncertainty of the future, leading to a bitter confrontation from which neither may ever truly recover....