Plot summary
An alien comes aboard Voyager, claiming to be a deceased member of the crew, Ensign Lyndsay Ballard. She explains that an alien race, the Kobali, reproduce by reanimating dead individuals of other races and altering their DNA. The Kobali expect reanimated individuals to live with them, but Ballard escaped and sought Voyager for asylum. Ballard confirms details of her death and past life aboard Voyager, and the Doctor confirms that her DNA partially matches the deceased Ballard's. The crew believe her story, and the Doctor attempts to restore her appearance from Kobali to human. She begins a relationship with Harry Kim.
Ballard finds readjustment difficult. Her favorite food tastes metallic due to her Kobali physiology; she sometimes speaks in Kobali without realizing; she is emotionally volatile; and she must visit Sickbay twice daily to maintain her human appearance. When her Kobali father finds Voyager to retrieve her, she reluctantly agrees to leave after an emotional moment with Harry.
In a side plot, Seven of Nine attempts to handle the task of caring for the Borg children. She implements a rigid schedule and punishments for deviation, but the children rebel out of a need for individuality. With Chakotay's encouragement, Seven learns to be more flexible with the children.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Ashes to Ashes (Star Trek: Voyager). Paragraphs and formatting adjusted; illustrations, reference markers, block quotations and non-story material omitted.