When Voyager locates the parents of one of the rescued Borg Children, Seven of Nine fears that the boy will have to sacrifice his studies in astrophysics to return to his estranged parents, and face a renewed threat of assimilation. As Seven's maternal instincts turn to aggressive suspicion, she realises that the boy's re-assimilation is inevitable.

Seven of Nine's ship-wide efficiency appraisal highlights three crewmembers who fall below Voyager's Starfleet standards. Taking the three under her wing, Janeway briefs them to accompany her on a routine away mission. However, when events take an unexpected turn for the worse, the survival of all four lies in the hands of the misfits.