A telepathic attack leaves Bashir trapped inside his own mind, where he ages rapidly and must work out how to wake up before he dies.
As his thirtieth birthday approaches, Bashir confides his worries about getting older to Garak. He refuses to sell a restricted substance to Altovar, a Lethean, who then attacks him with a telepathic blast. Bashir wakes on a dark, nearly empty station and finds himself ageing at a frightening pace.
He realises that the station and crew are inside his own mind while he lies in a coma, with each crew member standing for a part of his personality. As Altovar captures them one by one, Bashir must outwit him, and he finally finds his way back to consciousness.