Lillian Price, the new medical director, arrives at Angels of Mercy Hospital to help the struggling hospital get its accreditation back. She finds herself supervising -and clashing- with her former lover, Dr. Ben Turner, who is acting chief of surgery. Meanwhile, an elderly woman refuses to undergo emergency surgery that could save her life; and a resident botches an operation that he undertook without permission.

A man is admitted with a hatchet buried in his head. The staff caters to a crusty physician who will determine whether the hospital receives accreditation. Dr. Syphax confronts Ben over his feelings for Lillian; and Lillian makes a surprising decision that displeases O'Malley.