Stardate 3372.7: Spock is in a state of mental unrest and requests a shore leave on his home planet Vulcan to recover. Kirk, however, has orders to set course for Altair VI to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the planet's president. Spock eventually lets Kirk in on his condition. It is the pon farr, a phase of irrational sexual desire, that manifests itself as the plak tow, the blood fever. It requires him to return to Vulcan to be with his future wife. Otherwise Spock would die. Kirk decides to act against his orders and set course for Vulcan. He and McCoy beam down with Spock to an ancient ritual place. They are welcomed by T'Pau, an influential political figure on Vulcan and by T'Pring, Spock's fiancée. T'Pring, however, demands that Spock fight for her to the death according to the old koon-ut-kal-if-fee ritual - against Kirk. When Spock, still in the plak tow, is on the verge of killing Kirk, McCoy gives Kirk an injection that he says is a tri-ox compound to compensate for the thin air on the planet. But Spock wins the duel and apparently kills Kirk, who is beamed up together with McCoy. Correctly assuming that Spock wouldn't want her now that Kirk is dead, T'Pring is free to be with her new love, Stonn. Spock returns to the Enterprise, ready to resign his commission and be arrested, but is more than lucky to see Kirk alive. McCoy actually gave him a neural paralyzer that simulated the captain's death.

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