A founding member of the X-Men, named Iceman, breaks into a government facility. He refuses to trust his former teammates about his reasons for doing so, but when Jubilee aids him in his quest, it leads to the team going up against another group of mutants, known as X-Factor.

Gambit, Rogue, and Wolverine take a ski trip in Germany. While Gambit and Rogue seem to be enjoying themselves, Wolverine is restless, and longs for some action. When he hears reports of a demon hiding in a local monastery, his investigation reveals not a demon, but a mutant, Nightcrawler, whose devilish appearance is in stark contrast to his peaceful and deeply philosophical nature. Later the townsfolk attack and burn the monastery. The X-Men convince the townsfolk not to fear what they do not understand, Wolverine, too, learns something about the nature of faith.

Nightcrawler gets a mysterious message. He is informed that his birth mother (whom he never knew) is in trouble. He turns to the X-Men for assistance. Jubilee is baffled that Nightcrawler wants to help the mother who abandoned him -- she has never known her birth parents and feels pretty hostile toward them, whoever they are. Nightcrawler admits there has been pain, but his faith in God has helped him overcome her rejection. The plot thickens when one of the team members recognizes Nightcrawler's mother's voice. There are more 'bloodlines' here than anyone imagined, including the Friends of Humanity who arranged this 'reunion' in the first place.