Although Voyager is about to enter Bothan space, the Doctor orders Janeway to relax with her holonovel to help her deal with the stress of command. But the stress is magnified when she begins to see items and characters from the holonovel outside the holodeck. Neelix reports that not much is known about the Botha except that they are extremely territorial and that many ships have disappeared without a trace in their space. When the Botha rendezvous with Voyager, they launch an unprovoked attack. As they maneuver to resist the attack, Voyager's crew are overcome by hallucinations which disable everyone on the ship except the Doctor and Kes, whose nascent telepathic powers enable her to resist the hallucinations. The fate of the crew hinges on their ability to find a way to repel the psychic attack.
