A blood feud complicates a diplomatic mission.
The Enterprise travels to Acamar III to meet with the leader of the Acamarians, Sovereign Marouk, who is trying to end a long feud with a group of outcasts called the Gatherers. The Federation hopes to bring the peace process to a close and welcomes the diplomatic mission. But someone is killing the Gatherers, one by one.
Riker is attracted to a woman named Yuta, who is part of the Sovereign's household, and who turns out to be an assassin carrying out a family vendetta spanning generations. The story is a dark one about cycles of revenge. It also gives Riker one of his many romantic involvements. The episode explores the high cost of holding on to old hatreds.