While Tom Paris and Harry Kim are performing tests on the new Delta Flyer, they encounter a mysterious pilot who challenges them to a race. The woman, Irina, later informs them of an upcoming starship race. Soon, the Starfleet officers find themselves involved in this race-an event intended as the first step towards peace between four different cultures from this area of space. But one of the racers is determined to sabotage the goodwill of the event.
