The medical staff and Joan Halloran fight back when a large private hospital dumps an indigent, unstable emergency patient on the E.R.; Ehrlich seeks advice about his relationship with Roberta; Daniels is tied to the drug abuse charges against White; and Dr. Ridley and Morrison try to figure out a woman's violent mood swings and personality changes. Luther loses a father figure. A bored teenager wreaks havoc with the hospital's computerized records.

The residents scatter as vacation begins; Morrison meets a charming young woman; the E.R. faces major structural repairs; Steven Craig returns home after licking his drug problem; and Luther tries to find a Cheshire cat for a skeptical little girl. Dr. Auschlander collapses in an elevator. Elliot Axelrod has an interview for a position as a resident.