Emily Owens, an awkward first-year intern at Denver Memorial Hospital, tries to balance work with romance. In the opener, Emily begins her internship and discovers her old high-school nemesis working there, as well as a guy she had a crush on in medical school.

Emily learns that the nurses don't like her when she is assigned a difficult case as revenge. Later, Emily reveals her feelings to Will, and considers using a secret she knows about the chief to get a speedy approval on a procedure.

When a female car accident victim is brought into the ER with a spike through her torso, everyone immediately blames her boyfriend for causing the accident. She makes it through surgery, but the doctors find that she may be paralysed. Later, they discover that the boyfriend has lupus, which could be to blame for the accident. The case brings up painful memories for Will. Emily deals with a model with jaw cancer who refuses to undergo surgery. Emily and Cassandra compete for Will's attention as they all prepare for the in-service exam.