Commander Sinclair (Michael O’Hare) and Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) await the arrival of a Minbari war cruiser which carries the body of a great Minbari war leader. The ship is stopping at every port on the way back to Minbar. The sight of a war cruiser popping out of the jump gate is unsettling to Sinclair because of his memories of the Earth-Minbari War. In the Zocalo, a teenaged girl attempts to shoplift and is caught in the act. She collapses suddenly. Both Ivanova (Claudia Christian) and telepath Talia Winter (Andrea Thompson) witness this, and the latter senses that the girl was hit by a mind burst.
The ship arrives with all its gunports open. Sinclair demands an explanation and the Minbari captain says they are on a peaceful mission. Ambassador Delenn (Mira Furlan) explains that the gunports are open as a symbolic gesture that the ship is carrying a great leader. Sinclair and Garibaldi will both be present in Customs to greet the body of Shai Alyt Bramner and the executive officer Alyt Neroon (John Vickers). In Medlab, Doctor Franklin (Richard Biggs) examines the young girl with Ivanova and Winters present. The latter explains that the adolescent girl is a newly manifested telepath, thus the uncontrollable mind burst. She wants to contact Psi Corps immediately, but Ivanova opposes this because of her mother’s experiences, as does Doctor Franklin.
Sinclair, Ivanova, Garibaldi, and an honor guard join Delenn in welcoming Neroon. The coffin is brought aboard the station to lie in state, as requested by Bramner’s clan, the Star Riders. Ivanova returns to Medlab. The girl awakens but is overcome by telepathic noise. Talia helps her block it out. The girl’s name is Alicia Belin (Grace Uma) and Ivanova learns that she is an orphan who has been living on her own in Downbelow for a year or so. Her powers are strong, but she cannot yet control them. Talia and Ivanova are still in disagreement about Psi Corps. Neroon demands that only Minbari guards accompany the body until the viewing ceremony. Neroons’s attitude rubs Sinclair the wrong way, but Delenn insures cooler heads. The next day, it is discovered that Bramner’s body is missing.
Neroon and Delenn are outraged. The former mutters about war, but Sinclair promises to get to the bottom of the matter. Ivanova discusses Alisa Beldon with Sinclair. She wants to avoid alerting Psi Corps. He will back her up. Then he meets Delenn in her quarters and discusses Bramner. He was a member of the religious caste who never wanted to be a great general but joined the Warrior Caste when the Earth-Minbari War broke out. The Warrior Caste was extremely upset when the Religious Caste withdrew all ships on the eve of victory.
Garibaldi is investigating the disappearance. Narn Na’Toth (Caitlin Brown) says the Narn Regime is not involved. She suggests the carrion-eaters in the Alien Sector. Ivanova sends Talia out of the room and explains the situation to Alisa, who thinks Psi Corps may be her only option. One of Neroon’s guards has found part of Bramner’s burial robes outside of Pak’Ma’Ra quarters. Garibaldi says they have to have their stomachs pumped.
Na’Toth offers Alisa a job with the Narn, but she scans Na’Toth’s mind and finds it dark and cold and alien. Doctor Franklin reports that the Pak’Ma’Ra have not eaten any Minbari. Neroon is growing even more impatient. Alisa is a P-10 telepath. Ivanova doesn’t want her going to the Narn Regime either, since the Centauri occupation of Narn has left them bleak, bitter, and violent. Talia and Ivanova have a heated discussion over the Psi Corps. Ivanova takes Alita to Delenn, who explains that telepaths are highly honored in their culture. Alisa scans Delenn and afterwards confides in Ivanova about what she saw.
Sinclair is attacked in his quarters and knocks down his attacker, who is Neroon, who is looking there because he thinks it is the one place Security would never look. Garibaldi says that he and Delenn have already searched the place. After Neroon leaves, Alisa comes in and says Delenn knows where the body is. Sinclair and Garibaldi confront Delenn. They catch her with Bramner’s cremated remains. She confesses that she is following Bramner’s last wishes. He did not want his funeral a monument to war. She was going to explain his body’s disappearance as a religious mystery. She worries about widening the rift between the Religious and Warrior Castes but tells Neroon the truth. He is incensed, but she chides him for ignoring Branmer’s wishes. The Star Riders Clan might be dishonored and by the authority of the Grey Council, she forbids him to disclose what has happened.
Neroon apologizes to Sinclair, who respects Neroon’s loyalty to Shai Alyt. Praise from an enemy is a high honor and Neroon is impressed by Sinclair. The latter meets with Delenn in the gardens. She has offered Alita a place among the Minbari and she has accepted. Before leaving, Alisa thanks Ivanova and thanks Talia. Ivanova and Talia sit down for coffee. Just before boarding the ship, Alisa tells Sinclair that she saw one word more in Delenn’s mind: Chrysalis.
The audio of Talia trying to reach Alita was overdubbed, her words appearing almost simultaneously in each mind. Ivanova has a heart-to-heart talk at one point with Alita, ending with a handshake. Alita steals her com-link. Bramner planned and led the Battle of the Line. The Minbari war cruiser is gorgeous, like a huge angelfish. A Minbari war vessel on a peaceful mission opens all its gunports to show it has nothing to hide. Earth tends to misinterpret this gesture. The episode was written by D.C. Fontana.