Admiral Nechayev informs Picard that a settlement between the Cardassians and the Federation has created new borders between the two powers, placing some Federation colonies in what is now Cardassian territory. Picard is given the assignment of evacuating one of those planets, a twenty-year-old enclave of North American Indians located on Dorvan V. He reminds her that the American Indians were once unjustly forced off their land centuries before, but Nechayev stands firm, ordering Picard to remove the settlers "by any means necessary". Wesley Crusher, on a break from Starfleet Academy, becomes deeply involved in the dispute and resigns from Starfleet.

Wil Wheaton (Cadet 3C Wesley Crusher)
Eric Menyuk (The Traveler)
Ned Romero (Lakanta)
Tom Jackson (Anthwara)
Richard Poe (Gul Evek)
George Aguilar (Wasaka)
Natalija Nogulich (Vice Admiral Alynna Nechayev)
Doug Wert (Jack R. Crusher)

• Wesley resigns his commission in Starfleet Academy and then joins the Traveler in a "new plane of existance."
  
• Dorvan V was given to the Cardassians as a result of the Federation-Cardassian Treaty of 2370, which is a result of the negotiations that took place after the Federation-Cardassian Armistice of 2367. (See "Chain of Command, Part II".)
  
• The colony decides to give up Federation citizenship and to live under Cardassian jurisdiction.
  
• This was originally going to be a "Wesley Crusher joins the Maquis" episode, but the producers decided on the Traveler theme instead, and gave the Maquis theme to Ro Laren in "Preemptive Strike".
  
• Dorvan V is implied to be the homeworld of Voyager's Commander Chakotay.
  
• The Traveler was introduced in the episode "Where No One Has Gone Before".