Plot summary
On the 60th birthday of Kira Nerys's late mother Meru, whom Kira believes to have been a hero who died in a refugee camp, recurring Cardassian antagonist Dukat sends a message to Kira telling her that Meru was his lover. Kira obtains station commander Benjamin Sisko 's permission to consult the Bajoran Orb of Time to find out the truth.
The Orb sends Kira into a vision of the past. Kira appears in a refugee center where her family once lived. There she befriends Meru, using the name "Luma Rahl". "Luma" and Meru are taken from the camp to become " comfort women " for Cardassian troops. On the space station Terok Nor—the future Deep Space Nine—Meru is overwhelmed by the bounty of food and other comforts. Dukat singles her out for special attention, and she eventually becomes Dukat's mistress. Nerys is thrown out into the station's Bajoran ghetto, where she is recruited by Halb, a member of the Bajoran resistance.
The next time Nerys sees her mother, Meru praises Dukat; Nerys angrily reminds her that Dukat is not only responsible for killing innocent Bajorans, but also for separating her from her family. Meru explains that Dukat has promised to provide her family with food and medical supplies. Nerys calls Meru a collaborator and storms out, hatching a plan with Halb to smuggle a bomb into Dukat's quarters. Meru could be killed in the blast, but Nerys no longer cares. Pretending to have had a change of heart, Nerys returns to Dukat's quarters to apologize to Meru, then secretly hides the bomb.
Nerys then sees Meru receive a message from her husband Taban. He thanks his wife for the resources her companionship to Dukat has afforded for their family: they have been released from the refugee camp, allowed to return home, and provided with extra food. Nerys, realizing that she owes her survival as a child to her mother, has a change of heart and warns Dukat and Meru about the bomb, and they escape just before it detonates.
The vision ends, and Kira returns to the present. She learns that her mother lived another seven years as Dukat's mistress, dying in a Cardassian hospital. The episode resolves ambivalently; Kira concludes that despite how outraged she feels at Meru's collaboration with the Cardassians, "no matter what she did, she was still my mother".
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night. Paragraphs and formatting adjusted; illustrations, reference markers, block quotations and non-story material omitted.