Upon arriving at his new command, Benjamin Sisko is quickly involved in a Bajoran prophet's quest for eight mystical and powerful orbs.

The Cardassians declare war, damaging the space station during the battle; hostilities cease when Sisko returns with the missing Cardassian ship.

A member of the Bajoran underground seeks asylum on DS9, attracting the attention of Cardassians and Klingons, and testing Kira's loyalties.

Mounting evidence points to Security Chief Odo as the murderer of a Bajoran criminal under investigation; Keiko tries to establish a school.

A virus that causes its victims to speak in gibberish breaks out on DS9, and Sisko assigns Kira the job of finding an antidote.

Cultures clash when a group of hunters follows its prey through the wormhole to the space station where he is trying to repair his ship.