After a crew member dies, an alien tries to comfort her son.
An away mission ends in tragedy when Lieutenant Commander Marla Aster is killed. Her young son, Jeremy, is left alone, and Worf, who was leading the team, feels responsible. He offers the boy a Klingon ritual of brotherhood, to share the boy's loss. But a strange alien presence seems to be taking an interest in him.
The entity, whose people are known as the Koinonians, attempts to console the boy by recreating his mother. Picard and Troi must find a way to help the boy to let go. The episode is a moving look at grief and a good example of Worf's honor.