Picard undergoes heart surgery as Geordi is held by the Pakleds.
Picard has an old heart condition that requires surgery, and has to travel by shuttle to a starbase with Wesley. At the same time, Geordi La Forge is sent to a ship with a crew of Pakleds, a seemingly simple species who claim that they need help to repair a ship. Geordi realizes that they may not be as dim as they appear.
The two stories alternate between Geordi's tense efforts to fix the ship and the Captain's conversation with Wesley about the operation. Picard's story gives us a rare look into his past and what it cost him. The Pakleds are a memorable alien species who return in later series. The episode is a good character study that also has a humorous side.