With a damaged ZPM, and diminished hopes of survival, the Atlantis team finds themselves stranded in the middle of empty space with hardly any time before they run out of power completely. Dr. McKay is challenged to the max as he tries to find a way to save Atlantis from its doom. Meanwhile, Dr. Keller races to treat Weir's increasing head injuries, but the only answer she can come up with could have grave results for everyone on board.

Slowly, everyone on Atlantis comes to terms with the sudden re-appearance of Dr. Carson Beckett who, he claims, has been Michael's prisoner for some two years. He tells them what he was doing in Michael's laboratory and they set off to find the kidnapped Teyla. Dr. Keller figures out just how he's come to there at all. Sheppard meanwhile has been using all of his contacts to try and locate Teyla but they come across someone from the past. Teyla in turn has found some of the Athosians alive but they are few in number as a result of Michael's experiments. Michael explains to her just what it is he wants from her as well as his own plans for the future.

Combat engineers from Atlantis work against the clock to rescue four of their colleagues who are now trapped in the rubble of Michael's medical compound. With Michael en route, they quickly locate McKay and Major Lorne but Sheppard and Ronon are far deeper and their rescue is not assured. When Michael's ship arrives, they decide to try to rescue Teyla who is in labor and close to giving birth. When it's all over, Col. Carter is recalled to Earth for a performance review but Richard Woolsey has some bad news for her.

An alien mind takes up residence in Jennifer's body and seems as confused as her colleagues are by her erratic behavior. Which begs the question; where is Jennifer?