Starfleet Command has learned that the Cardassians are planning to construct a base on the other side of the wormhole to establish a presence and claim the rich unexplored territory. Now, it falls to Commander Sisko, Major Kira, and the crew of Deep Space Nine to set up a Federation station there immediately.

But before Major Kira can deliver the new base, a fanatic from her violent past appears. Now, Kira must engage in a life and death struggle with an enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy her -- as the fate of Bajor, the wormhole, and possibly the entire Federation hangs in the balance.