Lieutenant Saru is a Kelpien. As a member of a prey species and born on a planet overrun by giant predators, he is intimately familiar with fear. Pressured from all sides, he is determined to rise above himself and his origins to succeed as a Starfleet officer aboard the U.S.S. Shenzhou. However, when Saru disregards protocol to prove himself to his crewmates, what begins as a life-saving rescue mission for a distressed ship quickly spirals out of control.