Costumed patients create a challenge for the doctors; Derek and Ben work on a new surgical technique; Richard asks a resident to perform his next surgery, angering Bailey.
The murder trial of Kelly Nolan (Heather Locklear) gets under way amid a media circus; Malcolm Holmes (Rupert Everett) tries to persuade Tara to help him get a court order allowing his client to sing his uncle's trademark song.
The problem of toxic waste disposal becomes real to Don, Charlie and the team when several children are injured after a sinkhole collapses underneath a school playground.
The team investigate the murder of a probation officer and an ensuing hostage situation. The latter leads Horatio to believe one of the suspects may be his own son.
To keep a potentially messy situation from unraveling, Mike brokers a deal. Jimmy works to exonerate an eccentric client.