The battlestars Pegasus and Galactica go head-to-head with Cylon baseships in a battle that will change the face of the war. But for Lt. Kara Thrace, the real war is with her conscience, as she steels herself to carry out Commander Adama's order to assassinate Admiral Cain.
When Lee Adama hears from Kara of the order, he confronts his father and challenges the morality and the legality of the order - but Commander Adama remains resolute. For the good of the fleet, he tells his son, Admiral Cain must be eliminated.
Meanwhile, in the Pegasus brig, Pegasus crewmembers brutally assault Galactica prisoners Chief Galen Tyrol and Lt. Karl Agathon, as revenge for the homicide of one of their officers. Only a timely intervention by the Pegasus's XO halts the beating before it becomes fatal.
As the battle to destroy the Cylons' "resurrection ship" intensifies, members of both battlestars' crews are forced to decide how much of their humanity they are willing to sacrifice in order to survive. Ultimately, the fight that begins with heroic self-sacrifice ends in a white-knuckle test of two commanders' courage - and their character.
