Ella is the head of the obstetrics department and is struggling not only with staff shortages but also in her love life. She is having an affair with Jerry, a married pediatrician. On the day that department manager Michael tells Ella there is absolutely no money for additional staff, she discovers that her fatigue has another cause.

Intern Willem's first day on the job gets off to a rocky start: midwife Louise refuses to supervise him. Ella takes Willem under her wing during the scheduled delivery of a stillborn baby. Resident Frederik, for his part, has trouble dealing with the authoritarian anesthesiologist Jacob. Meanwhile, Ella is struggling with her own pregnancy. She makes an appointment at the abortion clinic, but doesn't tell Jerry.

Vivi is Ella's mother and works at the same hospital. Vivi really enjoys that, but Ella doesn't. Maria is overwhelmed by her workload, while midwife Tina devotes a lot of time to supporting natural births. Jacob is unavailable just when he's needed most. Milad performs an ultrasound on Ella, after which she decides not to terminate the pregnancy.