A new leader has risen among the Free Jaffa, K'tano, former First Prime of Imhotep. SG-1, accompanied by Bra'tac, seeks an alliance between the Tau'ri and the large force he has amassed.

Master Bra'tac arrives with bad news: Teal'c's wife is deathly ill, and Teal'c leaves to be with her. Shortly thereafter, the gate is opened but nothing comes through. Then Carter discovers a very low power signal that is slowly building an overload powerful enough to destroy the Earth.

While exploring a crashed alien ship full of passengers in cryostasis, an alien force has downloaded a number of their consciousnesses into Daniel.

General O'Neill is still in the early days of commanding the SGC and faces a major problem when newly arrived Russian Col. Alexi Vaselov collapses in his quarters. Dr. Brightman's belief that Vaselof may be contagious seems correct when Daniel, who was with the Russian when he collapsed, apparently goes mad and tries to leave the base through the gate. O'Neill locks down the SGC but the problem isn't contagion: the essence of Anubis is alive and well and seeking a new host.

A Prior of the Ori has established an ever-growing forcefield on a Jaffa-controlled planet called Kalana. A minor Goa'uld named Nerus, who engineered the multiple Gate connections required for the defeat of the Replicators, comes to the SGC with information on the event and offers his help.

Stargate Command gets a video message from Vala's extremely unreliable father, Jacek, on the planet Robak; he claims to know about the late Arkad's plans to attack and blow up Earth, even about the several cloaked, Naquadah-laden cargo ships in orbit, and offers details in exchange for sanctuary. General Landry asks Dr. Lam to help him resume contact with her mother, Kim, his ex-wife. Even after the cargoes are found and blown up, Vala abhors her dad's entry. The general asks her to go easy on him, realizing that he, too, neglected his daughter because of his career, even if Jacek's neglect was just criminal. When Cam and Daniel go tell Jacek he shouldn't scam people, he tricks them into talking to Vala for him. Vala goes over just for catharsis, telling him she's through picking up the pieces of his tricks, and he certainly keeps scamming - as Daniel also finds - even with Terak, a Jaffa from an escaped cargo ship, who hopes to sell the Naquadah. When they are apprehended, Jacek promises to help track it and override the rigging of the cargo ship. The Jaffa wait for Jacek and Vala, intending to eliminate them now that Terak is gone, but SG-1 saves them. Since there never was an override, Jacek cheerfully flies away alone in the cargo ship, ignoring that his treachery was anticipated: it's a decoy.