Medical intern John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff) embarks on a career at a hospital abundant with unpredictable staffers and patients.

J.D. tries to persuade a smoker patient to quit smoking in order to impress Dr. Cox, who is just feeling lonely in his opinion. Elliot's attitude towards Carla annoys her, thus Turk is able to go on a date with Carla, when he convinces her to forgive Elliot.

J.D. begins to feel distant from Turk, when he leaves him abandoned every time that he tries to talk to him. Elliot fights with Kelso for calling her "sweetheart," and she seeks Dr. Cox's advice. J.D.'s relationship with Elliot goes in a time race, when he has 48 hours to kiss her before he is put into her "Friend Zone."

The three interns are each assigned patients with various illnesses. Statistically speaking, one of the three is going to die. J.D.'s patient is 86 year old Mrs. Tanner, who is in renal failure. 20 year old David Morrison is Turk's hernia patient and Elliot's patient Mrs. Guerrero only speaks Spanish and might have lupus.

J.D. points out what seems to be a technical mistake to Dr. Kelso, but it was really an attempt of Dr. Cox to save a woman without insurance using a dead guy's insurance. Dr. Kelso and Dr. Cox show J.D. their different ways of looking at medicine. Meanwhile, the Janitor intimidates J.D., Elliot discovers the healing powers of her boobs and Turk gives Carla a pen he thought he took from the Lost and Found box.

Dr. Cox is still facing the threat of suspension, and coincidentally, J.D. is assigned to a special patient: Jordan Sullivan, an important board member. She is very demanding and J.D. ends up sleeping with her after he confronts her. Only he didn't know that she is Dr. Cox's ex-wife, and now the only one who can save J.D.'s mentor from being fired by the evil Dr. Kelso. Meanwhile, Elliot is assigned to take care of a shrink whose jaw has been wired shut, and for whom she ends up becoming a patient. Carla's mom makes a scandal after Turk spends the night at Carla's, and when she breaks her leg, Carla blames Turk for it.