When an alien scientist points Captain Janeway in the direction of an unprecedented discovery that may hold the key to Voyager's journey home, Janeway agrees to let him accompany her crew on their investigation. Soon Voyager is embroiled in a dispute between several alien races - each intent on manipulating this scientific phenomenon towards their own ends and possibly destroying whole worlds in the process. Janeway must prevent what began as a quest for knowledge from turning into a plan for destruction.