Many light-years away from the safety of the Federation, the Starship Enterprise stands guard over an unstable alien world whose unique natural resources could change the balance of power throughout the Star Trek galaxy.

Against all odds, Captain James T. Kirk and his crew have preserved the struggling Federation colony on Belle Terre, but their heroic efforts may have been in vain. In a last-ditch attempt to drive the entrenched settlers off their new home, the alien species Kauld have contaminated the planet's atmosphere with a destructive biochemical agent that will soon render the entire world uninhabitable to human life. With only weeks to spare, Spock races to find a scientific solution to their dire predicament, while Kirk takes the battle to the enemy, determined to wrest the secret of their salvation from the very forces out to destroy the future of this new Earth.