Meredith is a first year surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, the toughest surgical residency program west of Harvard. She and fellow first-year interns Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens (Katherine) and George O’Malley were students yesterday. Today they’re doctors and, in a world where on the job training can be a matter of life and death, they’re all juggling the ups and downs of their own personal lives.

The four interns struggle to form friendships in this most stressful and competitive atmosphere. Meredith’s medical ambition is overshadowed by a troubling secret: Her mother, a noted pioneering surgeon, is struggling with a tragic and devastating illness. Cristina is a study in contradiction; highly competitive and driven, she eschews any favors in order to make it on her own. Isobel “Izzie” Stevens is the small-town girl who grew up dirt poor and, in spite of paying for her medical career by modeling, still struggles with her self-esteem. And George O’Malley is the warm but insecure boy next door who always manages to do or say the wrong thing at the wrong time. In spite of his attraction to women, he’s treated as “just one of the girls.”

The interns are guided by an established team of doctors who are determined to shape them into skilled surgeons or break them: Miranda Bailey, a senior resident responsible for training them, is so tough that she’s nicknamed “The Nazi.” Derek Shepherd is the flirtatious but very capable surgeon who shares a forbidden but undeniable sexual attraction with Meredith. Preston Burke’s arrogance is second only to his skill with a scalpel. Overseeing them all is Dr. Richard Webber, Seattle Grace’s paternal, but no-nonsense chief of surgery.