When the senior crew reminisces about their respective ancestors, Capt. Janeway tells about one of her ancestors that became famous working on the first successful self-sustaining enclosed civic environment, the Millennium Gate. However, upon further investigation of this famous ancestor, Shannon O'Donnell, and the Millennium Gate project, Janeway learns some surprising facts about Shannon that causes her to feel less about her hero.
While chasing a renegade Maquis ship in the Badlands, the USS Voyager and the Maquis ship they are chasing are pulled into a vortex, which sends them instantly to the Delta Quadrant. However, after the destruction of the device that transported them to the Delta Quadrant, the crew of Voyager and the crew of the Maquis ship must join together to fight their way back to their home in the Alpha quadrant, which is many years away. They will meet many foes and many obstacles along the way, but they will also bond as a crew, between those of the Maquis and those of Starfleet.