Assimilated by the Borg, Janeway is brought face to face with the Borg Queen. Determined to eradicate the "individuality" virus that Janeway has injected into the Collective, the Queen gives Janeway an ultimatum: persuade the freed Borg to return to the Queen's control or see millions of innocent drones put to death to cleanse the Collective of Janeway's actions.

Seven of Nine faces rapid deterioration and death when the Borg implant which controls her vital functions begins to malfunction. Impossible to repair, the implant must be replaced, and it quickly becomes obvious that the donor must be a live Borg drone!