Meet Meredith Grey. Daughter of famous surgeon Ellis Grey and currently recovering from a one-night stand. She shoos away her evening's companion, saying she'll be late for her first day of work. She is a first year intern at Seattle Grace Hospital and is working alongside some colorful characters. Cristina Yang is a highly competitive Stanford graduate who befriends Meredith. George O'Malley is a quirky warm hearted man who learns a lesson or two on his first day. Izzie Stevens is a former model who doesn't get any special treatment on her first day. And Alex Karev is an arrogant jerk who misdiagnoses a patient on his first shift. Overseeing them is Miranda Bailey, (not-so-) affectionately dubbed 'The Nazi'. Meredith also gets a surprise when she realizes that her friend from the night before is a co-worker, and even worse, her boss.

Meredith works on a patient who happens to specialize in matchmaking, and a seemingly drunk patient pushes Richard's buttons and gives him a medical mystery to solve. Meanwhile, Maggie tries to reach Teddy after bearing the burden of her secret becomes overwhelming as she struggles with issues in her own personal life.

Meredith turns heads when she shows up to work done up and ready for her blind date later that day, while Alex makes a questionable decision in order to save a patient. Meanwhile, the burden of knowing Teddy’s secret keeps Maggie up at night, ultimately making her decide she has to tell someone.

Meredith has a patient whose family is celebrating Day of the Dead, making the doctors remember loved ones they have lost. Richard shares unexpected news with Meredith about her father, Thatcher. Meanwhile, Teddy tries to tell Owen that she is pregnant but they get sidetracked, and Jo encourages Link to pursue one of the doctors.

Meredith breaks a hospital record; the doctors are sent scrambling in the wake of a massive overdose within the community; Jackson wants to take Maggie camping; Levi and Nico's relationship continues to develop.

When Jackson throws a party to celebrate Catherine’s surgery and those who worked to save her, literally nothing goes as planned. Meanwhile, Helen pays Alex and Jo a surprise visit.

Link tries to convince Amelia to take it easy during the final stage of her pregnancy. Hayes asks Meredith a surprising question, and Owen makes a shocking discovery.

As traumas and pressure mount, Grey Sloan doctors try to find a path forward, and Richard questions his faith. Meanwhile, Maggie gives Winston hospital privileges and they work together to treat an uneasy patient. Jo, Link and Jackson play an unconventional drinking game.

A dinner party is thrown at the sister house in Nick's honor. Meanwhile, Grey Sloan Memorial receives a victim of a brutal hate crime.

After a long six months, Grey Sloan Memorial has reinstated its residency program. A group of talented and striving young interns has been recruited as the attending surgeons work to rebuild the program to its former glory. Meredith, still functioning as the interim chief, sees Nick for the first time since she rejected his offer to move to Minnesota. Meanwhile, Bailey tells Richard she is not ready to return to work; Levi works up the courage to break disappointing news to Jo, and things turn awkward when Link realizes he has met one of the interns already. With Amelia and Maggie’s help, the new doctors are thrown into their first day on the job dealing with injuries from a recent tornado.