Dr. House takes Cuddy's challenge to go off his painkillers for a week, but the effects of his withdrawal symptoms may put his patient in danger.

With his diagnostic team gone, House tries to diagnose a young woman who survived an office building collapse. With the condition getting worse, Cuddy puts pressure on House to hire a new team, but instead attempts a differential diagnosis with help from the janitor.

During a day in the life of Princeton Plainsboro's Dean of Medicine, Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the inner workings of the hospital are seen through her eyes. This day proves to be especially trying as Cuddy wrestles with myriad hospital issues and staff disputes that test her perseverance and skills as an administrator, all while juggling issues in her personal life.

House participates in a school’s Career Day and breaks a few rules by sharing explicit medical stories. Waiting outside the principal’s office, he meets two fifth-grade students who assess House’s relationship woes and try to help him understand how his selfish antics get in the way of showing Cuddy how he really feels.