On a seeminly routine mission to the planet Dolmark, within the Thomar Expanse, the USS Cardiff hopes to negotiate trade with the Dolmari. Things start off promising, with the Dolmari even requesting a survey team to beam down for a tour of their mines. Things go spectacularly wrong when an incident of murder and arson is laid at the feet of the survey team. The Dolmari imprison the survey team pending an investigation. While adhering to the laws and customs of Dolmark, Captain Sarrik convinces the Dolmari to allow her Chief of Security to carry out a concurrent investigation. Things are not as they appear on Dolmark, and Captain Sarrik must figure out how to exonerate her crew, and reopen negotiations, while dealing with intense dreams that have plagued her since an accident four months prior.