The Jeffersonian team investigates the death of a woman whose body was found mutilated and discarded in a city garbage can. Meanwhile, Booth invites Sweets to stay with Brennan and him while Sweets searches for a new apartment.

A street artist who is plastering his work on a billboard falls into his glue—and onto a corpse—so the team try to get him unstuck from the remains as they also work to identify the body. Meanwhile, Booth takes a stab at stand-up comedy at a club's open-mike night to look for suspects; and Angela finds herself attracted to the street artist.

When extremely educated new intern Dr. Oliver Wells (Brian Klugman) starts working at the Jeffersonian, his quick-learning, enthusiastic personality challenges Brennan as he gets under her skin with his eccentric but undeniable observations, causing her to try to be more open-minded about many scientific questions. Meanwhile, Booth worries she may have gone too far when she accepts the possibility of time travel as a factor in a murder investigation.

The Jeffersonian team investigates the murder of Jack Spindler, a successful employee at a brokerage firm by day, but a stripper by night. When the team learns how Spindler's moonlighting affected his personal life, they start to question the people closest to him, including his stripper friend, Storm. Meanwhile, Booth's mother shows up after a 24-year absence in his life and makes a special request of him.

The team investigates a police officer's murder and decides what is important to their futures.

To produce a television segment on the Jeffersonian’s Medico-Legal lab, a documentary crew follows Brennan, Booth and the Jeffersonian/FBI team on a “typical” case as they investigate a corpse found in a landfill that was buried there more than a decade ago. The camera captures normally unseen footage of the team at work, while candid commentary by each of the team members provides an inside look at the investigation as Booth and Aubrey show off their unique skills in the field, and Brennan and her team prove their expertise and integral importance to solving murder cases.

When the burning, bruised body of an aspiring writer/director crash-lands onto a passing car, the team investigates a series of odd locations and characters that are connected to his film. Meanwhile, Bones seeks guidance from Dr. Mayer on the meaning of passion in the work place and Booth allows Aubrey to take the reins on their current case.