Enterprise nears the planet Pollux IV, when an immense humanoid hand appears and seizes the ship! It is not actually living tissue, but a complex field of energy. And it belongs to a being who claims that he and his kind visited Earth long ago, and were then revered as gods - in this particular case, the Greek god Apollo. His request is a simple one: the crew of the Enterprise will depart the ship and establish a colony of worshippers. Of course, Kirk has no intention of doing this; he must make "Apollo" understand that humans have moved past him.