On one of the moons of the Outer Ring, Captain Malcolm Reynolds ends the card game with the winner and happy owner of an ancient map covered with mysterious symbols. The former owner insists that it is worth nothing. On board the Serenity, River Tam interprets the signs and claims that the map points the way to one of the Arks, a generation ship that brought people from Old Earth. The ship is a real repository of forgotten technologies, antiques and relics of the past. A real treasure for anyone who finds . As the team approaches an old ship drifting among the stars, it is discovered that it is not as dead as it seemed at first. The closer they get, the more excited River becomes. She claims that something is waiting for them on board, something powerful and very evil.