Taya was a young Yaderan girl born in 2360. She was the daughter of Anetra and the granddaughter of Rurigan. When she was four, her father died. Rurigan was a Yaderan who left his homeworld after the Dominion captured his world and changed the planet's society. The village created by Rurigan on Yadera II in 2340 was a recreation of all that he had lost.
In 2370, crewmembers from space station Deep Space 9 arrived to investigate unusual emissions from the planet and then stayed to help investigate the disappearance of the colonists, among them, Anetra. The cause was determined to be a faulty hologenerator. Odo became fond of Taya, and with Jadzia Dax, he repaired the emitter, allowing the holographic characters to reappear. Taya played a significant role in helping Odo and Dax discover the cause of the disappearances. She was the first to reveal that the villagers never left the valley, and it was her arm's disappearance at the edge of the field that set in motion the discoveries that led to the return of the villagers.
Before he left, Odo turned into a spinning top to amuse Taya. (DS9: "Shadowplay")