The team takes on the case of a man who collapsed while being mugged. When the man complains of new symptoms that do not fit his initial admission profile, the team suspects he is a hypochondriac. As Mr. X continues to fall ill with symptoms unrelated to his neurological disorder, Foreman and the remaining six fellows are assigned to keep watch, and are bemused as they see their own behavioral idiosyncrasies reflected through him.

A documentary film crew chronicles a teenager with a major facial deformity who opts to undergo a dramatic reconstructive procedure. When the patient suffers a heart attack just before the surgery, House and the fellowship candidates must determine the cause since the surgery cannot proceed until the patient's cardiac condition is diagnosed. The film crew and the candidates, following around House, distract him.