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Enterprise has dropped to impulse
in order to get a closer look at a black hole that's part of a
trinary star system. As it will take them two days to get there,
the crew has time for personal endeavors. Archer concentrates on
writing a one-page preface for a biography of his father. He
also assigns Trip the task of making some adjustments to the
captain's chair, which is apparently rather uncomfortable. Reed
hopes to work on a new security protocol, while Hoshi takes over
cooking duties for an ailing Chef.
Meanwhile, Mayweather visits
Phlox for a headache remedy. Phlox, however, is not content to
simply diagnose Mayweather with a headache, and begins to
subject the ensign to a number of medical tests. Soon, each of
the crew's seemingly ordinary tasks begin taking on more and
more significance, as each person becomes obsessed with a single
job. Archer turns his one-page preface into a 19-page missive,
while Trip takes the entire captain's chair apart, determined to
add new features (such as a cup-holder) and re-shape it to fit
Archer perfectly. Reed, who is attempting to draft a special
emergency alert, becomes obsessed with the perfect name and
sound for the alarm. And Hoshi tries to get her family recipe
for a dish called oden just right — so much so that she abandons
her other cooking duties, leaving the crew to starve. Their
behavior is also affecting their interactions with one another —
Reed and Trip nearly get into a physical fight, while Phlox
sedates a frustrated Mayweather so he can run more medical
tests.
 T'Pol, meanwhile, is the only member of the crew who does not
seem to be obsessing over a particular task, and she can't help
but notice everyone's odd behavior. She approaches the captain
about it, but he remains absorbed in his preface, and becomes
irrational and angry when she disturbs him. T'Pol also tries to
inform Phlox of the crew's illness, but he is intent on
performing an extreme medical procedure on Mayweather. Seeing
that the doctor has also been affected, T'Pol quickly renders
him unconscious via a Vulcan nerve pinch.
With the rest of the crew unconscious, T'Pol uses Phlox's scans
of Mayweather and her own study of the trinary system to form a
hypothesis — the radiation from the trinary system is affecting
the crew. If they're exposed to this radiation much longer, they
may not survive. In order to escape, she must chart a course
between the stars. This means passing dangerously close to the
black hole and a considerable amount of debris. She will not be
able to pilot the ship alone.
 T'Pol heads to Archer's quarters and manages to rouse the groggy
captain by putting him in the shower and dousing him with cold
water. She manages to explain the situation to him, and the two
head for the bridge. While T'Pol determines the course
corrections, Archer pilots the ship away from danger. Enterprise
is rocked by debris, and Archer determines that they need
weapons. T'Pol insists that there isn't enough time to bring
them online — then she notices that they already are, apparently
as part of Reed's new security measures. Enterprise fires its
phase-cannons at the dangerous debris, clearing a path, and
jumps to warp. The ship is finally out of danger.
Later on, Phlox examines the crew, and determines that there are
no lingering effects from the radiation. Archer commends Reed on
his Tactical Alert, noting that it saved Enterprise at a crucial
moment. In fact, the captain requests that Reed make the new
protocols standard procedure. Trip, meanwhile, has lowered the
captain's chair a centimeter, making it much more comfortable,
and Archer appears to have written a preface he's happy with.
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