Sisko tries to stop a Maquis attack before it sparks war with Cardassia, as Starfleet, the Cardassians and his old friend Hudson pull him in different directions.
Hudson refuses to give up the Maquis cause and leaves Sisko and his team behind. Admiral Nechayev orders Sisko to reason with the colonists, and the Cardassian Legate Parn admits that weapons have been smuggled into the zone but blames Dukat. Quark is caught for helping Sakonna buy arms and then talks her into revealing a planned Maquis strike.
Sisko, Bashir and Odo rescue Dukat, who then helps catch a trader running weapons for Central Command. The station's runabouts stop the Maquis attack on a Cardassian weapons depot, and in a final standoff Sisko lets Hudson go, wondering whether he has prevented a war or only delayed it.