As the principles of the Enterprise return from a conference, there are some disruptions in time. Crew members freeze up and lose time as the others watch. When they arrive back at the Enterprise, something is going on with a Romulan ship. The Enterprise appears to have been boarded by Romulans but everyone is frozen in place. Riker is being assaulted by a Romulan and Beverly is being fired on (or so it appears) by another. There appears to be chaos on board. Not only that, but Worf is transporting more Romulans (who seem to be injured) on board the ship. To complicate things, too long an exposure seems to affect the brain. Picard begins laughing hysterically, having drawn a smiley face in a cloud emanating from the core. Because the returning crew can't figure things out immediately, they must be very careful to keep the status quo for a time lest they exacerbate an already dangerous situation. This calls for some careful planning. Oh, there is also an alien presence on the ship that must be dealt with.
