Flashback to the synth attack on Mars fourteen years ago. Picard and Raffi meet outside Starfleet Headquarters. They want to continue the Romulan evacuation but Starfleet Command has denied their request and Picard resigns his commission in protest. Raffi gets fired. They part on poor terms.

In the present day, Picard fills Raffi in on Dahj, his mission, and his theory about the Zhat Vash. Picard needs Raffi to find him a ship and a pilot. Raffi fills him in on how the last fourteen years have treated her and vents some long-overdue rage on him.

On the Romulan Reclamation Site, Hugh, the executive director of the Reclamation Project is reviewing reclamation procedures and notices Soji's words to one of the X-Bs, wishing him peace. He seeks out Soji to commend her and then offers her the opportunity to speak with Ramdha, a Romulan X-B who was once the foremost expert in Romulan mythology.

Picard apologizes to Raffi for neglecting her in her darkest times and then points out that the Romulans who killed Dahj are proof that she was right about a Romulan-Federation conspiracy. She refuses to buy in and tells him to leave but does know a pilot she can point in Picard's direction. The pilot's name is Rios.

At the Daystrom Institute, Commodore Oh tracks down Dr. Jurati and questions her about Picard.

When Hugh takes Soji in to see Ramdha, Soji notices that all the "disordered" X-Bs are Romulan.

Picard shares the Daystrom information on Maddox with Raffi although she protests that she's not actually interested.

Picard beams aboard an unregistered starship and is greeted by an Emergency Medical Hologram. The EMH takes him to Rios who has a large piece of metal sticking out of his shoulder. Picard recognizes Rios' Starfleet training even though Rios is distinctly anti-Starfleet.

Raffi finds an indicator that Maddox may be on FreeCloud.

Rios and his EMH discuss him taking a job with Picard. Rios reveals that the last great captain he worked with died in a grisly fashion right in front of him.

Picard prepares for his trip and tells Laris he never truly felt at home at the chateau.

Soji tries to understand Ramdha's divination cards. By interpreting the card with the Romulan false front door, she is able to begin interacting with Ramdha.

Zhaban brings supplies for Picard. Suddenly they are attacked by a Romulan death squad. They subdue one and kill the others only to have another jump out suddenly. Dr. Jurati kills that one with a disrupter unexpectedly.

While Soji speaks with Ramdha, the Romulan becomes more aware of her and recognizes her as someone she sees in the future.

Picard tries to interrogate the captured Zhat Vash who won't tell him anything about the Asha sisters except that the one that's left is The Destroyer. He spits acid on Zhaban who gets his shirt off quickly. 

Soji reveals that Ramdha was aboard the very last ship ever assimilated by The Artifact. Soji tries to get Ramdha to remember what happened, why the Cube malfunctioned and became detached from the Collective. Ramdha becomes upset, starts to cry, looks at her card and sees an image of twins and demands to know if Soji is the sister who lives or the one who dies. The other disordered X-Bs become escalated and Ramdha grabs a weapon off a guard. She identifies Soji as The Destroyer and tries to shoot herself in the head. Soji moves very quickly to disarm her. 

Back in her quarters, Soji contacts her mother about Dahj. Her mother tells her Dahj is fine but as she's talking Soji loses consciousness. Narek finds her and asks her about what happened. She shares that she doesn't know how she knew the things she said to Ramdha. He comforts her and whispers that he's falling in love with her. Outside her quarters, Narissa greets him and warns him that if his methods don't work soon, she'll be trying her methods.

Dr. Jurati informs Picard that she must come with him on his mission. Rios arrives to pick Picard up. They both beam aboard and find Raffi on the ship. She tells him she knows where Bruce Maddox is. Raffi wants to know who Agnes is, angry that Picard didn't have her vet the doctor. Raffi insists she is not on his mission, just hitching a ride to Freecloud. They get under way.