During negotiations with the Kesat government, Tuvok is zapped by a powerful energy force, suffers severe neurological trauma and emerges as a mere shell of his former self while Janeway searches for the mythical species responsible for the attack in hopes of finding a cure. While the optimistic Neelix keeps pushing to restore the mental prowess of the confused Tuvok, Janeway works with Naroq, a Kesat inspector, as they try to solve the enigma of the cloaking device used by the hostile Ba'Neth -- or 'shadow people' --who seek Voyager's technical data. Even as the crew pursues the elusive Ba'Neth for a solution to Tuvok's misfortune, the suddenly vulnerable Vulcan discovers emotions he never could appreciate before.
