The planet Peladon is hoping to join the Galactic Federation.
The Doctor and the miners take the upper hand in the fight to reclaim Peladon from the Ice Warriors. But Eckersley is unwilling to give up and takes Queen Thalira hostage.
The Ice Warriors have taken control of Peladon. Pretending to cooperate, the Doctor concocts a plan to defeat the invaders.
The work of the committee is hampered by sabotage, fear and suspicion. The Doctor knows the Ice Warriors of old and believes that they may be the guilty party.
The Doctor is sentenced to a fight to the death in the pit with the King's champion, Grun. But the saboteur and killer is still at large.
