Teal'c is on his home planet, Chulak, where there is rebellion among the Jaffa warriors. He is betrayed as a sacrilegious shol'va (traitor) by Rak'nor, son of a Jaffa friend of his father, and handed to Terok, the torturer of system lord Heru'ur. Ignorant of his fate, the other SG-1 members join Jacob in a risky attempt to take hold of a space mine using a Tok'ra ship piloted by Jacob. En route to Apophis' spaceship, the expedition finds out that Teal'c is being offered as a confidence-building present from Heru'ur to cement an alliance with Apophis against the other system lords, which would make the Goa'uld threat more dangerous than ever. They decide to save Teal'c, but their attempt fails. However, Teal'c's resistance to torture and clear conviction that Goa'uld are not gods finally convinces Rak'nor, who now bravely acts.

Upon finding Merlin's testing grounds, Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, Col. Mitchell, and Vala uncover the hidden treasure including a book that tells the story of the Ancients coming to Earth from another galaxy and a strange alien device.

Based on the information Vala gave them, SG-1 travels to the planet where Merlin may have hidden his secret weapon to defeat ascended beings. There they find an appropriately medieval village and learn that Merlin kept a library there. The locals have never been inside owing to a curse on anyone who dares enter, but SG-1 finds a way in. Once inside, they find a secret chamber that may reveal the location of the weapon. The SGC, meanwhile, has located the Ori's Supergate. Sam's attempt to get control of it is too late, and four Ori ships make their way through. In the ensuing battle, much of Earth's fleet is destroyed, and the future of several SGC members is left in doubt.