Commander Grayson notices Captain Mercer is very relaxed and it turns out that he has started a relationship with Lt. Tyler, the ship's cartographer. They've been meeting in secret and having movie nights. Tyler suggests a holiday. Mercer tells Malloy and Grayson about his new relationship and they both approve and congratulate him. On their way to the holiday planet, Mercer and Tyler are waylaid by Krill ships and end up hostage. Mercer gives up his command codes when he sees Tyler being tortured. Later, Teleya, the Krill teacher he befriended when he was undercover, enters the brig and reveals that she has been masquerading as Tyler this whole time in order to lure Mercer into this trap. Her gloating is interrupted by an attack on the Krill ship by a species whose home planet the Krill had invaded. Mercer and Teleya escape but crash on a nearby planet. They need to reach higher ground to set up a distress beacon but run out of night-time hours to do so and take shelter in a cave.
Meanwhile, on the ship, Malloy tries to take the Command test but has a hard time with the various facets of the exam. Grayson thinks he's doing it to look more impressive to women.
On the planet, Mercer realizes that he'll have to set up the beacon himself. The Orville receives the distress call and rescues him and Teleya before they can be killed by the Krill's enemies. Mercer frees Teleya to the Krill in order to start the peace process with the Krill.