A man claiming to be the Emissary returns from the wormhole.
A Bajoran ship emerges from the wormhole carrying Akorem Laan, a famous poet who vanished two centuries ago. He claims he is the Emissary of the Prophets, and Sisko, uneasy in that role, steps aside. Akorem wants Bajor to restore its old caste system, which would end Bajor's hopes of joining the Federation, and Kira plans to resign her commission to become an artist as her caste demands.
When a Bajoran is murdered over caste, Sisko challenges Akorem. They go into the wormhole, where the Prophets confirm Sisko as the Emissary and send Akorem back to his own time with no memory of what happened. Meanwhile, O'Brien struggles as Keiko announces she is pregnant.