During a routine medical examination, the
Doctor discovers evidence that Ensign
Harry Kim has undergone complex brain surgery within the last two years which only the Doctor could have performed. Having no memory of the procedure, the Doctor attempts to reconstruct the missing time period and discovers that certain files in his memory were deleted. A reconstruction reveals photos of an Ensign Ahni Jetal, a woman of whom he has no recollection. The Doctor eventually discovers that
Captain Janeway and the crew conspired to eliminate files concerning a traumatic event that caused a holographic equivalent of a
psychotic break. After an attack during an away mission, the Doctor could only treat one of two equally critically injured patients: Ensign Jetal and Ensign
Harry Kim. The Doctor saved Harry, while Jetal died on the operating table. As time passed, the Doctor was overpowered by guilt, believing his friendship with Harry affected his decision to save him rather than Jetal. A conflict then developed within his ethical programming that compromised his impartiality. On having the previously deleted files reinstalled, the Doctor's mental stability once again deteriorates, and Janeway is faced with deleting his memories or allowing the Doctor time to resolve his guilt, a decision that could leave the crew without a medic in the interim.
Seven of Nine argues to Janeway that, much as she herself did, the Doctor's personal development has advanced to where he deserves an opportunity to evolve beyond his program's original constraints. Janeway allows the Doctor to retain his memories so he can eventually reconcile with his past actions. In the final scene, the Doctor reads from
La Vita Nuova. The words differ from the actual poem to make them more applicable to the story and give a more profound sense of closure: "In that book, which is my memory, on the first page of the chapter that is the day when I first met you appear the words, 'here begins a new life'". == Actor commentary ==