Awakened by ship shaking, Archer is confined to his quarters by a guard with orders "from the captain." One slug later and he's barechested on the bridge, helpless as a Starfleet-dudded Captain T'Pol desperately tries to intercept the Xindi Space Modulatoor. They fail, and spectacularly so goeth Earth. (The rest of the story is told in non-confusing interleaved flashback, advancing little except an insight into Archer's dreams. No matter - this remains a masterful, must see episode.)

Awakened by dishes clinking, gray-haired "Jonathan" meets pony-tailed T'Pol with news of a Very Important Day. His last memory is from twelve years ago, as Enterprise encountered some corridor anomalies. Archer frees her from a fallen bulkhead but is flattened by another. Awakening in Sickbay Phlox describes a hippocampal infection by Parasite Clusters from a Interspatial Flux Domain Outside Normal Space-Time. He's lost the ability to form long-term memories and even miracle-worker Phlox can't help. Trapped in a three-hour window, from here it's downhill.

Starfleet relieves him of duty and field commissions T'Pol. Xindi ships attack and begin boarding. (Archer kicks ass, stabbing one boarder with his Cochrane statue!) Systems failing, T'Pol takes a calculated risk and steers NX-01's airlocked Xindi ship directly into the other, severely damaging all three. Hobbled, Enterprise is delayed, allowing the Modulatoor(s) to be deployed. Wiped out everywhere, Humanity convoys its final six thousand members to the only surviving colony at Ceti Alpha V (of all places).

Ambassador Soval arrives, and by admitting mistakes and criticizing her attire, convinces her to resign her commission - wait, the logical thing is to allow humanity to perish? This she does, to help Jonathan, and their relationship over the years "evolves." Back to the VID - Phlox arrives with treatment options -implode Archer or use the warp core to fry his brain. Archer returns aboard, greeted by Captain Tucker, Malcolm with becoming goatee, and hair-down Hoshi. (Where's Porthos in the "future?") The treatment proceeds successfully. NX-01 disables a spy vessel, and threatened by Angry (REALLY Angry!) Trip the pilot discloses his real mission: tail Phlox to the humans.

Meanwhile T'Pol and Phlox come to a conclusion that fixing Archer will fix time. Short on antimatter though, Trip can't spare enough power to finish. Six Xindi ships attack, and despite General Shran's magnanimous shields Enterprise is chopped up. As intruders beam aboard T'Pol opts for a Hail Rosemary pass and they overload the core, causing Enterprise to explode … and Archer awakens with a mild concussion and an awareness of T'Pol's nursing skills.