DiDi Ortley is the newest nurse at the Billy Barnes Extended Care unit. As she settles into her new job, she gets embroiled in a disagreement between two veteran nurses and Dr. Jenna James, who ends up assigned permanently to the ward.
The new supervising nurse causes conflict in the ward with his questionable methods to achieve ward efficiency. The staff struggles to deal with a mentally ill patient named Varla.
Patsy tries to come up with a new plan to improve the ward. One of the patients has a romantic encounter with her boyfriend that puts the staff in an awkward position.
Patsy and Dr. James clash over their respective plans to improve the situation in the ward. A homeless patient gets left behind at the ward.
Dawn and Patsy's relationship troubles send the former on a downward spiral. DiDi's night shift becomes strenuous when a new patient arrives with a number of drunk companions.
DiDi tries to help Jenna with a financial situation. Dawn is forced to confront the truth about her relationship with Patsy. A new patient stirs up trouble for the staff.