The eagerly awaited continuation of "HOMECOMING" and "THE FARTHER SHORE!" Captain Chakotay is ready to prove himself as the new commanding officer of the "Starship Voyager" — but skeptics back at Starfleet Command are watching him closely for any sign that he will revert to his renegade Maquis ways. His first mission as captain, to transport a group of displaced colonists back to their home planet of Loran II, seems easy enough: make sure the planet is safe for colonization, unload the settlers, and head back to Earth. He even has an extra reason to enjoy the trip—his sister, Sekaya, has joined the mission as a spiritual advisor to the gentle, peace-loving colonists. But when the crew arrives at Loran II, they discover a mysterious storm, an ominously deserted settlement—and a hidden threat from Chakotay's past that could destroy them all. Will Chakotay's first mission as captain of "Voyager" also be his last?

Chakotay and his sister, Sekaya, are imprisoned on the formerly Cardassian-occupied planet of Loran II. They soon discover that their tormentor is an old enemy: Arak Katal, the Bajoran who betrayed Chakotay's comrades, the Maquis, to Starfleet. Worse still, he is also Chakotay's second-in-command, Lieutenant Andrew Ellis—for he is in fact a Changeling, a shapechanger, a renegade Founder who has been rejected by the Great Link for his evil actions. On Loran II he has teamed up with Cardassian scientist Crell Moset, who he hopes will restore his Changeling powers to the full. But that is only part of their plan: Moset intends to create a new race, a superspecies to do his will, as the Jem'Hadar serve the Founders. With Chakotay's Sky-Spirit DNA, they may just be able to pull it off—and stopping them could cost Sekaya her life.