Pursuing a Maquis raider to an unstable moon, Kira becomes trapped within an expanding crystal formation that threatens to engulf her. Meanwhile, Nog attempts to persuade a skeptical Commander Sisko to write him a letter of recommendation to join Starfleet Academy.

When Grand Nagus Zek revises The Rules of Acquisition to be more philanthropic, Quark and Rom start to question whether their leader has gone insane. Meanwhile, when Dr. Bashir is nominated for a prestigious Federation medical award, his reaction is less than enthusiastic.