Neelix questions his place on the ship.
As Voyager enters the Nekrit Expanse, a region Neelix knows nothing about, he fears he will soon have no value as a guide. At a trading station he meets an old Talaxian friend, Wixiban, who offers him a map in return for help with a deal that turns out to be a drug transaction, and the buyer is killed with a Voyager phaser.
Wixiban, who owes money to a criminal group, pressures Neelix to steal warp plasma from Voyager. When the station's administrator arrests Paris and Chakotay for the murder, Neelix and Wixiban confess and help set up a sting against the criminals. Janeway reprimands Neelix but assures him that he is part of the crew's family, not just a guide.