Sharona takes a break from Monk so that she can concentrate on her creative writing class, but gets caught up in a twisted murder plot that causes her to question her sanity. Meanwhile, Monk is distracted by Sharona's replacement, who is determined to fix him.

Trudy's father, a game show producer, invites Monk to Hollywood to determine if the host is helping a contestant cheat. Monk has to become a contestant himself in order to clinch the case, as well as to confirm his suspicions about the death of the host's assistant.