The ER treats victims of a gang shootout. Carter arrives late and unprepared for his new position. Mark learns all about being an attending, including senior staff's habit of bad-mouthing the residents, particularly Doug Ross. Mark hires a new chief resident, Kerry Weaver. New third year med students arrive to complete their ER rotation.

Carter gets his first patient...and loses him. Susan's feud with Kerry Weaver intensifies when Weaver demands all of Susan's procedures be cleared with her. Chloe abandons Little Susie again for a lucrative career in the flea market business. Carol finishes her paramedic recertification by picking up a very overweight, lethargic man. Shep hits on Carol. Jeanie ends her relationship with Benton. Wendy conducts interviews with various ER staffers for an article on Dr. Greene. Dr. Ross cares for a four-year-old Asian boy with AIDS.

Speculation runs through the ER, on a very hectic day, about Randi's possible criminal history. Mark faces an ethical dilemma when he has to decide whether to report yet another of Doug Ross's indiscretions--Doug slept with med student Harper Tracy. Carter becomes upset when Harper confesses this to him. Carol meets with a mobile notary to finish the paperwork to purchase a house. Bernstein informs Doug that he need to look for other employment. Benton is visibly upset when Jeanie begins work in the ER as a physician's assistant.

Doug's heroics earn him a second chance as Bernstein and Morganstern ask him to stay on. Doug and Mark clash when each treats a seriously injured patient and want to use the same equipment. Benton learns that Jeanie has separated from Al. After missing an earlier diagnosis, Carter overcompensates on his next patient and catches a break when the test results reveal something. Shep gets on Carol's bad side when he makes disparaging remarks about the people who make botched suicide attempts. Doug gets a phone call from his estranged father.