When extremely educated new intern Dr. Oliver Wells starts working at the Jeffersonian, his quick-learning, enthusiastic personality challenges Brennan as he gets under her skin with his eccentric but undeniable observations, causing her to try to be more open-minded about many scientific questions. Meanwhile, Booth worries she may have gone too far when she accepts the possibility of time travel as a factor in a murder investigation.

When the Jeffersonian team investigates the death of a former Marine sergeant whose remains were found burned to a crisp, they discover that she was discharged after a fist fight with another Marine. When Booth and Sweets go to question the other Marine involved in the altercation, they learn that Deanna was obsessed with the idea of the apocalypse, which leads the team to a following of doomsday preppers who become key suspects in her death. Meanwhile, Sweets thinks he has landed his dream apartment but Brennan and Booth are not convinced that he will actually move out.