2239. Now a diplomat for the United Federation of Planets, Spock agrees to a bonding with Saavik. Plans for the consummation of the pair's union are thrown off course when Spock receives a top-secret communication that lures him into the heart of the Romulan empire. Enmeshed in the treacherous political intrigues of the Romulan capital, Spock must use all his logic and experience to survive a crisis that will ultimately determine the fate of empires!