The patient of the week is Della Carr, an active and seemingly healthy teenager, who suddenly collapses with heart arrhythmia at a charity function for congenital muscular dystrophy, from which her brother Hugo suffers.
Things reach a head when House—unable to further back down and risk his patient's life—goes against Cuddy and informs Della's father that she can be saved by her brother's lung and marrow.
When the parents decide against the transplant, unwilling to risk Hugo's life, House and Cuddy get into a heated argument about the correct way to proceed.
House initially does so, but after diagnosing the father with zinc poisoning from too much denture cream use, he returns the money to both of them, and asks them to get couples therapy.
On the side, House shows an uncharacteristic lack of curiosity about Thirteen's (Olivia Wilde) whereabouts, while Chase starts dating four women simultaneously.