After weeks of lonely journeys through a desolate region of the Delta Quadrant, the crew of USS Voyager is badly in need of shore leave, so the planet Ryolanov seems just what the doctor ordered. Full of warm sunlight and gracious, hospitable people, Ryolanov is a veritable oasis amid the endless reaches of uncharted space. Alerted by his spirit guide, Chakotay is the first to suspect that there may be a serpent lurking in this paradise, but he is not alone. Driven by a psychic call she cannot ignore, Kes must conquer her own fears to discover the terrifying secret lurking beyond the black shore.
When an alien pirate abducts Kes, USS Voyager takes off in hot pursuit, but the first rescue mission fails disastrously; an ion storm forces the shuttle to crash on an unknown world. Now Captain Janeway and her away team must embark on a hazardous trek through a hostile environment in search of a way off the planet, while Voyager, commanded by Chakotay, confronts an enemy fleet in the depths of space.