Captain Burnham takes Discovery on a rescue near Book's homeworld Kwejian, which is then destroyed by a mysterious gravitational anomaly.
Now captain of Discovery, Burnham and her partner Book invite the people of Alshain IV back into the Federation, and Book heads home to Kwejian for his nephew Leto's coming-of-age ceremony. At the reopening of Starfleet Academy, Burnham meets the new Federation President, Laira Rillak.
A distress call from a space station near Kwejian draws Discovery, with Rillak aboard, to a station spinning out of control because of an unexplained gravitational distortion. Burnham personally rescues the crew, and Rillak, who has been assessing her for a new role, questions her approach. Book notices strange animal behavior and leaves the planet just before the distortion destroys Kwejian. The title nods to the no-win test introduced in The Wrath of Khan.