Carrie and Stanford attend a baby shower thrown by their friends Kyra and Chuck. Upon arriving, they discover that Kyra's house rules include the removal of all footwear, regardless if doing so will destroy a carefully crafted outfit. The evening is pleasant enough, but when Carrie plans to leave the party, she discovers that her brand new Manolos have been stolen. Later, Kyra offers to pay for the missing shoes, but balks when she discovers that they cost $485. Carrie winds up leaving the apartment with no compensation, and a sense of shoe-induced shame. She wonders if she has somehow made a mistake by choosing the lifestyle that she did, rather than the more traditional one chosen by Kyra.

Miranda finds herself with three separate problems: an open apartment in her building, Brady suffering from the chickenpox and her own growing need for male companionship. Luckily, one person solves all three problems, as Dr. Robert Leeds takes the vacancy and helps Miranda care for her sick child. When Brady's virus spreads to Miranda, Robert begins attending to her, but the tension in the air hints that their relationship may soon grow beyond doctor/patient.

Charlotte and Harry are still glowing in their post-wedding bliss, but the new bride has a slight problem adjusting to living with her husband's habits. She manages to get him to agree to stop leaving his used teabags all over the apartment, but she finds it more difficult to get used to the sight of him walking around the apartment in the nude. Charlotte doesn't say anything, but when Harry puts his naked form on her new white couch, she puts her foot down, and he agrees to wear shorts around the house from then on.

Samantha's dislike for misbehaving children comes to a head in a fancy restaurant. While a child babbles loudly in the background, Sam is admonished for daring to speak on a cell phone. Wildly frustrated by the double-standard, Samantha approaches the table with the child, but winds up with a face full of pesto for her troubles.

Carrie tries to smooth things over with Kyra, but it seems that the two won't be able to come to an agreement. Carrie then gets a brainstorm... since she's always come through whenever Kyra has registered at a store, then maybe it's time for Carrie to turn the tables. Ms. Bradshaw registers herself at Manolo Blahnik, in recognition of her just-announced marriage to herself. The only item that she registers for is a single pair of the missing $485 shoes, and Kyra finally comes around and replaces the missing Manolos.

Big is back in New York, but unfortunately, he's returned to Gotham to undergo an angioplasty. Carrie does not react well to this news, breaking down into tears whenever the subject comes up. The waterworks don't subside, even when Carrie visits Big after the procedure, making her realize that Big is somebody that will always be under her skin.

Miranda is torn as to how best to introduce Steve to her new boyfriend, Dr. Leeds. Luckily (or unluckily), this problem is solved for her when Steve walks in on the couple during a vigourous lovemaking session held in Miranda's apartment. The awkward meetings continue a few days later when Steve brings Debbie to meet Miranda, an encounter that suggest some residual feelings between Steve and Miranda.

Charlotte's ever present desire to conceive intensifies after a chance meeting with the very-pregnant Bitsy Von Muffling. She learns that Bitsy attributes her condition to the wonderful treatments of a Dr. Mao... leading Charlotte to sign herself up for an appointment. After a couple of visits (and scores of accupuncture needles), Charlotte finds that she's not able to center herself properly, since she can't block out all of the native noises of New York. Eventually, she abandons the treatments, attempting to get pregant without any help from far Eastern medicine.

Smith and Samantha's relationship hits an odd plateau when the actor tries to take Sam's hand as they're walking down the street. Samantha is so eager to refrain from the PDA that she actually trips and falls down an open hatch on the sidewalk. Smith isn't having any of this, telling Samantha in no uncertain terms that he loves her, and wants to be able to express his feelings. Samantha grudingly accepts, realizing that maybe a little hand-holding isn't so bad after all.

When Carrie tries to call Big in the hospital after the proceedure, she is shocked to learn that he's already checked himself out. Playing a hunch, she tracks him down at the Four Seasons Hotel, determined to help him recover. She makes the visit dressed as a candy striper, entertaining the patient with two boxes of dominos. After some light conversation, Big suddenly falls ill with a high fever. In a feverish delerium, Big opens up, and he and Carrie begin to wonder why they aren't together. But when the fever passes completely the next morning, Big is back to his old, closed-heart self. Carrie is saddened ,because she recognizes that life's too short for her to wait for Big to come around emotionally, no matter how much she loves him.