Captain Spock has left Starfleet to become Ambassador Spock， and has been bonded in a Vulcan engagement ceremony to the beautiful Commander Saavik. A call from an old enemy， now a friend， sends him off on a dangerous mission to the planet Romulus， where society is facing collapse unless Spock and Saavik can put aside their mating drives long enough to warn the Klingons of a sneak attack on the outpost at Narrendra III. Meanwhile， Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Stargazer is sent to recover Spock and Saavik. But is his out to aid them， or to stop them from completing a mission which has put the peace of the galaxy at risk?