A message left behind by the Kai Opaka gives Commander Benjamin Sisko a fateful mission: find a young Bajoran girl destined to be a great healer who could bring together the warring factions of Bajor. While Lt. Dax tries to find the healer, Dr. Bashir goes planetside to treat a rare disease that is killing the children in Bajor's resettlement camps. Surrounded by thousands of dying children, Bashir goes A.W.O.L. from Deep Space Nine, vowing not to return until the plague has been stopped. But by the time Dax finds the girl from the Kai's prophecy the child has fallen victim to the plague. Now, with the fate of the entire planet at stake, Commander Sisko must find Dr. Bashir in time to save the child who may be Bajor's last chance for peace.
The Bajoran shipyard is assigned to build an engine for a new starship, a project which could be instrumental in revitalizing the planet's war-ravished economy. As Commander Sisko awaits the arrival of a tanker containing the antimatter that will power the starship, a band of hijackers captures the extremely valuable cargo and escapes through the wormhole. When the hijacking spurs a political debate, Major Kira struggles to mediate the dispute between the opposing factions. Meanwhile, Sisko makes a desperate move to retrieve the antimatter. With the stability of the Bajoran economy at stake, Sisko, Dax, and Odo infiltrate the hijackers, a move that could have deadly consequences for them and the planet Bajor.