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Spock and Joe Tormolen beam down to planet Psi 2000 to pick up a research party
before the planet disintegrates. They find everyone has died, frozen when life
support was turned off. Even stranger, the positions of the researcher's bodies
show they were out of their minds when they perished and some died by suicide.
Unknowingly, Tormolen carried what is later termed the "Psi 2000"
virus, back to the U.S.S. Enterprise and it spreads among the crew at an
alarming rate, reaching into their souls and pulling out their deepest desires
for public display. The virus is water borne and spread by perspiration in a
touch. While trying to stop Tormolen from killing himself, Sulu and Kevin Riley
are infected with the virus.
The crew begin displaying actions that are humorous exaggerations of their
desires, like Sulu threatening the bridge with a fencing foil and Kirk becoming
overly romantic toward the crew. Others are more heart-wrenching, like Christine
Chapel admitting her love for Spock and the Vulcan finally weeping over his
mother's death. The deadliest result, however, is when Riley declares himself
captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise and locks himself in Engineering.
Unfortunately, he also locks everyone else out. Once in command of the ship's
engines, Riley shuts them down and the U.S.S. Enterprise is pulled toward
Psi 2000 by its erratic gravity.
McCoy finds an antidote for the virus which he, fortunately, manages to avoid
coming down with, and infects the crew.
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