One month after St. Eligius was shut down, it is reopened by The Ecumena Corporation and its head of medicine Dr. John Gideon. Meanwhile, Dr. Craig is offered the opportunity to design an artificial heart, which the younger doctors jokingly call the ""Craig 5000.""

Gideon and Westphall argue over an AIDS clinic, Ehrlich looks for a mysterious woman on his wedding day, Kiem experiments with hypnosis, and Joanne blames Boomer for letting her kids go back to Seattle with her ex-husband.

The AIDS clinic becomes a showdown between Dr. Westphall and Dr. Gideon; Griffin tries to avoid his AIDS patient's homosexual lover; Fiscus' mother drops by for a visit; and Luther tries to help a man who insists he's pregnant and about to deliver.

The orderlies ask Auschlander to talk with Gideon about their grievances, Wade puts up with temporary lodgers, Rosenthal confronts an epileptic nursing student, and Craig gives Ehrlich marriage tips while they start work on a sheep's heart.