The latest mission of the USS Enterprise takes them deep into space to rescue an endangered species from an active volcano. However, once again Captain Kirk's reckless behavior compromises the mission and nearly gets him booted from Starfleet. Turning back to his mentor Admiral Pike, Kirk is demoted to a cadet and has to start over. But when an evil force attacks Starfleet HQ and kills Admiral Pike in the process, Kirk takes command and takes the Enterprise deep into the "forbidden zone" and the Klingon homeworld. While forces between Starfleet and the Klingon army are hostile enough, it isn't helping that a Starfleet traitor is manipulating the two sides into a possible war. Will Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew stop the war before it's too late? And what awaits the crew of the USS Enterprise on their forthcoming five year mission?