5 years ago: Picard eats a meal in Ten Forward and some cadets approach him and ask him about his adventures. He speaks to them about having hope as long as you have a loyal crew.

Present Day: Picard considers the view as the Titan falls into the nebula’s gravity well.

On the bridge, Riker runs through all the possible ways they can draw power to keep the shields up to protect the ship.

Suddenly, a bright light appears on the view screen. The ship sustains an impact. T’Veen reports this was another bio-electrical wave. Mura reports they must lower the shields or lose them altogether. Riker gives the order to lower the shields.

Riker joins Picard in the ready room. Picard begins to apologize, but Riker cuts him off to inform him the Titan has about four hours left before the gravity well crushes them. Life support may run out before then.

Riker admits Picard was right before. He shares that Thad’s death affected him so deeply that Deanna can’t stand to feel his void of emotion. That drove him to come on this adventure with Picard. He was running from death only to find it again.

He advises Picard use the time they have left to get to know Jack.

Part Four: “No Win Scenario”

Seven makes her way through the ship, looking for the changeling. She finds the body of the real Ensign Foster.

She reports to Riker that the switch happened days before Jack encountered them in the control room.

Riker orders her to keep looking for the changeling but to keep it quiet.

In sickbay, Beverly counts down and accurately predicts the next bio-electrical pulse.

Picard comes in and asks for a moment or two with Jack. Beverly tears up and assents.

The door chime rings repeatedly at Shaw’s quarters until he opens it. Seven comes in, informs him of the changeling onboard, and asks for his help.

Riker records a private message for Deanna, but he’s unable to form the words.

Picard brings Jack to the Ten Forward program on the holodeck, explaining the holodeck has its own power source as it is deemed essential in the case of catastrophic circumstances.

Picard pours them a couple of whiskeys. Jack asks when Picard started going bald. Picard asks about Jack’s childhood and life up until now. Jack has no idea where to begin. Picard asks why he never sought him out when Beverly told him who he was and where he could be found.

Jack deflects with a story about a medical supply run to M’Talas IV where he got stuck in a cargo hold with an Andorian with a broken antenna.

Shaw reviews Foster’s records and questions why the changelings would infiltrate using the transporter tech. He fills Seven in on how to spot a changeling.

He thinks about how to suss out the Changeling on a ship of five hundred people. He hits on finding the Changeling’s resting receptacle. He tells Seven to find the pot which may contain some of the goo Changelings sometimes leave behind and have the ship scan for the goo.

Beverly counts down again to a bio-electrical pulse.

Seven finds the receptacle in Foster’s quarters.

The Shrike emerges from the nebula. Vadic cuts her hand off into a dish and it liquifies and coalesces as a face that demands a report.

She reports the Titan and Jack Crusher are lost to the gravity well. The face orders her to pursue even at the cost of her ship, her crew, and her life. She complies. The face collapses into the dish and becomes her hand again.

The ship jettisons the portal system it stole from Daystrom in order to pursue the Titan inside the nebula’s gravity well.

5 years ago: Picard regales the ensigns with the story of the Tamarian encounter. One of the ensigns asks about the shuttle incident with his friend Jack Crusher. It had been described as a no win scenario.

Present Day: On the holodeck, a crew member asks if it’s a private space. Picard invites her and her colleagues in. Jack comments that he doesn’t need this quality time. Picard points out that everyone needs connection when in crisis. He tells Jack to look at how the crew around them are dealing with the situation.

Picard admits that this moment is more for him.

Beverly counts down again to a nebula pulse. This one seems stronger.

Seven carries the receptacle down the hall, contacting the lab to prepare to do a scan. She’s informed the lab’s been shut down to conserve power. A passing officer kills his companion and then fires on Seven, disintegrating the receptacle. She fires back as he rushes her and he liquifies and escapes into the ship’s computer paneling.

Seven contacts sick bay for help with the officer who was killed. Dr. Oak sends two staff while Beverly mutters that things are getting worse.

Jack takes a turn behind the bar and asks Picard what the worst situation he was ever in before the current one. Picard brings up the shuttle incident with the first Jack Crusher.

As he finishes the story, Shaw enters, sarcastically impressed with the harrowing tale of survival.

Shaw reminds Picard that the first time they met, Shaw was aboard the USS Constance. It was Stardate 44002.3, the Battle of Wolf 359, when Picard was Locutus.

He tells them that he was among fifty crew that made it to the life deck but there was only one life pod left to carry ten people.

Shaw unloads his rage at Picard for the people who died in the attack when he was Locutus. Jack tells him to settle down, but Picard allows it, saying he understands. He leaves the holodeck and Jack follows.

In the corridor, Beverly finds them and tells them about how she’s been tracking the bio-electrical waves and that she believes they’re like contractions that precede some sort of birth. Picard says the ship needs to be out of the nebula before that birth happens. Beverly points out they have no power. Jack suggests they could plug into the waves as they hit.

They take the plan to Riker. He’s reluctant to risk everything on this dangerous plan where a hundred things could go wrong and doom them all. Beverly reminds him that it’s about trust.

Riker suggests manually opening the nacelle covers so they can channel the wave energy directly down to the warp core.

Riker addresses the ship and informs them of the plan.

Picard goes to Shaw for his grease monkey skills. They need him to open the nacelle covers.

While Seven assists Shaw with the nacelle controls, Shaw points out this would be the perfect moment for the changeling to mess with them. Seven agrees and contacts Riker.

On the bridge, the crew prepare for the next wave. With two minutes to the wave, Riker gives Picard the con.

Shaw has one nacelle cover open and is working on the other when Ensign La Forge enters to offer a hand. As she leans towards Shaw with a torch, Seven stops her with a phaser pointed at her head and orders her to turn around.

La Forge insists she was sent to help. Seven informs her that she specifically informed Riker not to send anyone. Seven asks her what her full title is and when La Forge, who always calls her Commander Seven, says “Commander Hansen” Seven shoots her point blank. The body shimmers with Changeling goo, but then stays a body.

The second nacelle cover opens and they prepare to catch the wave. The asteroid field comes into view. Jack calls out the positions, and Picard orders the navigation. With Jack advising, they manage to get past the obstructing asteroids.

Riker orders the last of the power transferred from life support to power the thrusters in order to catch the wave.

They catch the wave and the power returns as the bio-electrical pulse recharges the ship.

T’Veen draws attention to the nebula which is changing with this last wave of energy.

The Shrike is dead ahead. Riker orders the tractor beam to lock onto an asteroid and using Vadic’s own technique, lobs the asteroid right at the Shrike, knocking it back and damaging the chip.

On the Shrike, the crew inform Vadic the warp core is off-line and will take at least an hour to repair.

Seven and Shaw come onto the bridge in time for the crew to witness the birth of what looks like space jellyfish.

As the crew celebrates their survival and Riker orders the helm to set a course for home, the scene flashes back to Ten Forward five years ago. Picard finishes speaking with the cadets and a new voice addresses him, asking if he ever had a life outside of Starfleet. The crowd of cadets part and it’s Jack sitting at the bar with a cap on his head.

On the bridge of the Titan, Picard looks at Jack and recalls the question he asked about “real family,” and his response that Starfleet has been the only family he has ever needed.

The cadets applaud the answer. Jack looks stoic and stunned. Picard digs into his meal. Jack disappears from his spot at the bar.

Riker contacts Deanna and they reconcile.

Picard records an Admiral’s log, questioning why Vadic is hunting Jack.

Jack’s washing his face in his quarters when he has another vision of the ship being infected with something red and vine-like. A voice repeats, “Find me.” Closing his eyes, he sees red clouds and a red doorway opening. He hits himself in the head repeatedly and when he opens his eyes, the red growth on the wall is gone. Scene goes to black and a voice whispers, “Find me.”