Tahna Los, a former Bajoran terrorist during the Occupation, asks Sisko for asylum on DS9. Meanwhile, the station's last Cardassian inhabitant, Garak, possibly a former spy for the Cardassian government, proves an interesting mystery to Dr. Bashir.
Ibudan, a criminal Odo has dealt with before, returns to DS9 only to be murdered shortly after - leaving Odo to be the prime suspect. Jake and Nog's trouble-making prompt Keiko to do something helpful for the station's children.
The crew and civilian population of Deep Space Nine begin to speak gibberish when a plague - an 'aphasia virus' - engineered by the Bajorans as a weapon against the Cardassians, accidentally gets released into the station's atmosphere.
For the first time an alien comes from the other side of the wormhole. He has ship trouble and seems very reluctant to accept any help. Chief O'Brien quickly finds out he has a secret.
Q, the Enterprise-D's consistent omnipotent annoyance, comes to harass the DS9 crew when his traveling companion, Vash, refuses to travel with Q any longer.
The Wadi from the Gamma Quadrant visit DS9, thereby making first contact with the Federation. When they catch Quark cheating, they let him off by playing a special game.
A man named Croden tells Odo he can take him to a place where aliens much like Odo himself exist, which would help Odo find out where he truly comes from.
While showing Bajoran spiritual leader Kai Opaka the wormhole, she, Sisko, Bashir and Kira crash land on a moon. The locals are in a never-ending war where they cannot die.
While Sisko tries to negotiate an agreement between two Bajoran factions, he orders O'Brien to escort Bashir to investigate an emergency that endangers a village.
Kira must convince an old Bajoran farmer to leave a moon becoming uninhabitable due to mining operations. Jake and Nog try to trade off Cardassian yamok sauce.
While Dax investigates an unusual energy reading near DS9 to see if it's dangerous for the station, people's imaginations suddenly come alive, causing chaos.
Lwaxana Troi comes for a political visit and instead hounds Odo for romantic attention. Meanwhile, an alien probe wreaks havoc with the station's computer, leaving Odo and Lwaxana trapped together.
The entire station's command staff, save Odo, become power hungry and vie to defeat each other by forming secret alliances and plotting assassinations. Odo tries to figure out the cause of this mysterious behavior.
A Cardassian suffering from Kalla-Nohra, a disease that indicates he served in a labor camp, visits DS9. Kira is determined to convict him as a war criminal.
Vedek Winn, a candidate in the race for the open Kai position, stirs up trouble on DS9 when she attempts to boycott Keiko's school for not teaching Bajoran religious beliefs.