At large in the Quarren industrial sector, Chakotay sets about convincing a skeptical Kathryn Janeway that she is a Starfleet captain rather than a lowly technician. Meanwhile, spurred on by Tuvok's flashbacks and some disturbing statistics, efficiency monitor Annika Hansen begins to unravel a sinister trade in brainwashed immigrant workers.

Seven of Nine's usually exemplary performance begins to deteriorate when she experiences a bout of holo-addiction brought on by a personal training programme. Unusually for Seven, the programme is not a technical simulation, but a romantic scenario featuring Seven and the partner of her dreams: Chakotay!