The Craigs face a tremendous loss as their first grandchild is born; a newly inspired Dr. Westphall returns to work full of ideas; and Fiscus invites himself up to Dr. Caldwell's Cape Cod retreat, where he sees a different side to the surgeon. Elliot and Marcy discover a common interest in food.

Dr. Westphall drives himself too hard and is hospitalized; Yvonne's parents arrive to see their daughter and to claim their grandchild; Terri has in-vitro fertilization; Fiscus makes a donation; and Dr. Caldwell picks up the wrong woman. Helen goes back to work on the floor. Dr. Westphall's insightful moving man checks into the hospital.

Dr. Craig behaves boorishly to his replacement, Dr. Paulette Kiem; Birch finds a radioactive patient; Papandrao claims Ehrlich as an escort to a family birthday party; a friend of Fiscus' is admitted with a major stroke; and a hospital neighbor becomes very upset when she observes Dr. Craig's imminent departure.

Mandatory drug testing causes a deep division of opinion; Morrison is haunted by his day at the prison; Axelrod is assigned to guide a 14-year-old medical student around; Griffin gets a warning from Dr. Westphall about hurting Lizzie; and Dr. Craig tries to perform magic tricks for some young patients and his housekeeper.

Judge Farnham checks into the hospital with an inoperable cancer (and asking for Floyd the Barber); Rosenthal takes Bobby Caldwell's death very hard; Dr. Craig searches for a date for a skating rink opening; Dr. Kiem is in the middle when she saves the life of a young black man shot by a Vietnamese gang member; Griffin befriends the new chaplain, who's a descendant of the hospital founder, Father McCabe; Novino and Luther compete on the ER simulator and Ehrlich tries to find his elusive parents.