After exposure to a chemical from an Insectoid ship, Archer becomes obsessed with protecting the Xindi eggs he finds there.
Enterprise finds a crashed Xindi Insectoid ship with a hatchery full of eggs. Archer is sprayed with a chemical and begins to put the survival of the hatchlings above the mission.
He makes Major Hayes his first officer, confines T'Pol to quarters when she objects, and has the MACOs hold key posts. Tucker and Phlox decide a mutiny is necessary, free T'Pol and Reed, and retake the ship. Phlox finds that a hormone from an egg caused Archer's obsession. The episode was directed by Michael Grossman, with a teleplay by Andre Bormanis.