At work, Monroe has the courage to perform cutting-edge brain surgery but at home, he is afraid to admit that his life is falling apart. When Alison Bannister is admitted with a brain tumour, Monroe has to help her make a frightening decision. To go ahead with an operation could leave Alison paralysed or unable to speak, yet without surgery, she is likely to die within a few years. Does she want to survive if surgery might change who she is? And can Monroe get her through this crisis as his own life starts to spiral out of control?

A former soldier is admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in his brain and Monroe controversially decides against surgery. Bremner is tempted to break her own rule about remaining detached from her patients, and Springer tries to cover up the fact that he has `mislaid' a patient.

Monroe finds that 'civilised divorce' is much harder than he had imagined and his attempts to enter the world of dating seem doomed to failure. At the hospital, Monroe tries to persuade an epileptic man to have an operation that could stop his religious hallucinations, and Bremner is furious to find that she is the subject of gossip about her relationship with Shepherd.

Monroe has to confront the prospect of operating on a colleague when registrar Sally Fortune collapses. Bremner reaches a decision about her relationship with Shepherd, and Monroe helps his estranged wife Anna build a new life.

When a 13-year-old girl is admitted to hospital after a road accident, Monroe believes there is little chance of saving her and an operation could leave her severely damaged. However, her father begs him to operate and give her a chance to live - whatever the consequences. The trainees face their final assessments and Shepherd considers leaving following his break-up with Bremner.