Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Iolaus (Michael Hurst) are battling a band of thugs to prevent them from robbing an innkeeper when Hemnor (David Mackie) arrives to ask for their help. He tells them that his village is living in fear of a monster and from his description, Hercules deduces that the creature is none other than the Golden Hind (Sam Jenkins), the half-woman half-deer belonging to Ares. Hemnor, who is eager to save her, informs them that Prince Nestor (Steve Hall) will soon be arriving with soldiers and trappers to kill her. Suspecting that the normally docile Hind has grown violent to protect her golden horns and hooves from poachers, Hercules and Iolaus agree to help. Their arrival in the village coincides with that of cold-hearted Prince Nestor, who is still furious with Hercules for killing his evil brother. The Prince reminds the son of Zeus that the blood of the Golden Hind can kill a god, and before thundering off in his chariot, he vows to slay the Hind, dip an arrow in its blood, and kill Hercules.
Meanwhile, when the Hind informs Ares about the approach of Nestor's soldiers, the god of war proves to be much more interested in the arrival of his half-brother Hercules, and begins to devise a plot. Nestor's trappers start rigging snares and his troops, armed with swords, spears and bows and arrows, prepare for battle by banging on metal plates and drums. The fearless Hind starts moving toward the sound, evading traps along the way, as Hercules and Iolaus search for her in the forest. The Hind is soon spotted by a squad of Nestor's soldiers, but she calmly drives them off with her arrows. Stealing up on Hercules as he tends to a small boy injured in one of the traps, the Hind -- who now appears to Hercules as the beautiful woman Serena -- offers her help. Kneeling beside the unconscious child, she slowly traces his body with her hands creating a healing aura, and he instantly awakens. Drained by her efforts, she then faints into Hercules' arms. When she comes to, she is amazed to realize that the demigod's touch has not caused her transformation back into the Hind, which occurs when she is touched by mortals. She quickly leaves, her secret intact.
When Nestor pays a visit to the Temple of Ares to ask the god for the blood of the Hind, Ares' impudent young nephew Strife (Joel Tobeck) appears from a column of flame at the altar. Heartily approving of Nestor's plan to kill Hercules, he later approaches his uncle, urging him to cooperate. Meanwhile, back in the forest, the Hind mistakes Iolaus for the enemy and wounds him with one of her poison arrows. Leaving his unconscious friend with Hemnor, Hercules desperately searches for the miraculous healer Serena. Dismayed to find her serving in the Temple of Ares, he reveals that Iolaus has been shot by the Hind, though he was only trying to protect her. He begs her to come to the village to save Iolaus' life, but Serena declines, afraid to reveal her secret. As Hercules heads back to town, he soon senses he is being tracked by the Hind and turns to talk to her. Fleeing in panic, she runs smack into Nestor's troops, who try to kill her on the spot. Hercules intervenes to save her, but when he attempts to follow her, Serena suddenly emerges from the edge of the woods, offering to accompany him to the village to help Iolaus.
Back at Hemnor's house, as Serena passes her healing hands over Iolaus, he suddenly awakens and reaches out to her. At his touch, she is instantly transformed into the Golden Hind. With the truth revealed at last, Hercules urges her to leave Ares, promising to protect her. Though she longs to be with him, she refuses, feeling hopeless about ever being able to live among mortals. After a poignant parting of the ways, Serena falls into a deadly trap in which she's surrounded by a wall of razor-sharp thorns. Bloodied in her attempts to escape, she cries out to Ares for help, but the god of war insists that her confinement is for her own protection. Following the sound of her cries, Hercules manages to locate and free her, but becomes suspicious when he finds out she was captured by Ares. After they leave, Ares breaks off a limb of blood-stained thorns, which he soon hands over to Nestor, instructing the Prince to make arrows with them to use against Hercules. Meanwhile, Iolaus, now fully recovered, sets out with Hercules for Ares' Temple, where they are ambushed by Nestor's soldiers. Nestor, who believes that Ares has killed the Hind, attacks Hercules with the deadly thorn arrows. As the son of Zeus evades his shots, Serena sneaks up behind Nestor's archers and begins killing them one by one. Realizing he has been betrayed by Ares, Nestor flees, pursued by Hercules, straight into one of his own traps and is killed. In a tender embrace later that day, Hercules and Serena, now very much in love, try to figure out a way to stay together despite all the obstacles in their path.
Starring: Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Michael Hurst (Iolaus)
Guest Starring: Sam Jenkins (Serena/The Golden Hind), Kevin Smith (Ares), Steve Hall (Nestor), Joel Tobeck (Strife), David Mackie (Hemnor), Rodney Dunning (Lieutenant), Graham Lauder (Trapper #1), Timothy James Adam (Soldier #1)
Written by Jerry Patrick Brown
Directed by Charlie Haskell