A fuel tanker explodes on a highway, resulting in multiple injuries; Jo and Meredith try to help a frantic woman, whose child has a mysterious illness; Alex is forced to work with Jo's boyfriend.
After several of Bailey's patients die, she becomes the focus of a CDC investigation; Cristina teases Alex about his feelings for Jo; Owen continues to take care of Ethan while his parents remain in the hospital.
As the storm rages, patients are brought to the hospital by the busload and resources dwindle; a doctor's life hangs in the balance.
Unsettling news motivates Derek and Meredith to take preventive steps for their children's future; Syrian doctors come to the hospital for a crash course in basic surgical skills; April decides to tell Matthew the truth.
Bailey continues to shut everyone out; Owen worries that Ethan could end up in foster care; a new craniofacial specialist comes to the hospital to work on a young patient; a magician's assistant needs medical attention after a trick goes awry.