Three hundred years ago, the S.S. Valiant was destroyed during an ill-fated attempted to cross the legendary Galactic Barrier. Starfleet had always assumed that the Valiant had perished with all hands aboard, until a pair of unusual humanoids arrive at Starbase 209, claiming to be the descendants of a handful of Valiant survivors who found refuge on an M-Class planet beyond the Barrier. Even more shocking, the visitors warn that a hostile alien species, the Nuyyad, are preparing to invade our galaxy. Starfleet orders the U.S.S. Stargazer to investigate at once. Lieutenant Commander Jean-Luc Picard is second office on the Stargazer and yet to command a vessel of his own. He soon develops a special bond with one of the visitors, a strikingly beautiful woman who has inherited mysterious psychic abilities from her alleged Starfleet ancestors. But can Picard truly trust her?