Picard, Geordi, and Worf investigate how Bok could have gotten on board, but find no immediate answers. A security detail is assigned to protect Jason, then Data informs Picard that Jason has a petty criminal record. Picard manages to withhold comment when he tells Jason that Bok has appeared on the ship. Again, he tries to reach out to his son, but Jason coldly informs Picard that he plans to leave as soon as the Bok incident is over and has no interest in continuing their relationship. Later, Bok sends Picard another message, then appears in his Ready Room. Picard tries to talk the Ferengi out of killing Jason, but Bok simply dematerializes again. Meanwhile, in Sickbay, Beverly gets an emergency call — Jason is seriously ill.

Beverly says Jason suffers from a hereditary congenital neurological disorder. Since neither Jason's mother nor Picard had the disease, she investigates other ways Jason could have acquired it. Meanwhile, Geordi and Data realize that Bok has been using a subspace transporter to beam on and off the ship — and that the device could be used to kidnap Jason. Affected by these increased threats to Jason's life, Picard tries again to get to know him. This time, Jason admits to feeling like a disappointment to his father, but Picard assures him that, no matter what, they still have a bond. Their talk is interrupted when Beverly calls Picard away with urgent news about Jason's condition. Once Picard leaves, Bok succeeds in transporting Jason off the ship.

Bok appears on the Bridge viewscreen holding a knife and promising to kill Jason. Data traces the transmission to a ship 300 billion kilometers away. Realizing he only has one way to get there in time, Picard risks a dangerous subspace transport to Bok's ship. He arrives safely and demands that Bok release Jason, then shares some surprising news — Picard knows Jason is not his son. While researching Jason's illness, Beverly discovered that the young man's DNA had been resequenced to match Picard's. The other Ferengis on Bok's ship turn against Bok, and Picard and Jason are able to return to the Enterprise. After Jason's disease is cured, he returns to Camor V, inviting Picard to visit him the next time he's in the area.