The Tok'ra have turned down O'Neill and SG-1's request for an alliance against the Goa'uld because, as Garshaw explains, the earthlings don't offer enough rewards to justify the security breech. And, the fact that none of the humans will act as host for Selmak, a Tok'ra whose host is dying does little to build trust. Dr. Samantha Carter has an idea. Her father, Gen. Jacob Carter is dying of cancer. If he will become a host, it will save both his life and that of Selmak. But when she and O'Neill return to the Stargate to propose the idea to the General, the Goa'uld, tipped off by a spy, launch an attack on the Tok'ra. The Tok'ra have enough warning to relocate, but by the time O'Neill, Carter and her father return, the attack is underway. The bonding of two beings as sick as Gen. Carter and Selmak would be difficult under the best of circumstances. With Goa'uld death gliders filling the sky, it requires even greater risk and urgency.