
Members of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital care for the injured during the Korean War and use humor to escape from the horror and depression of the situation. Among the 4077's people are Capts. Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce and "Trapper John" McIntire, Majs. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan and Frank Burns, and Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly.

Hawkeye writes to his father detailing Radar's attempts at passing an exam and a sudden cooling of affections between Frank and Margaret.

During a cold snap, a pair of long johns sent to Hawkeye from home becomes a much-sought-after commodity.

While settling down to listen to the Army-Navy game, the 4077th is bombarded and left with an unexploded bomb to defuse.

After a bad session in the O.R., Hawkeye quarrels with Frank over his inadequacies, then finds one of his own patients is sinking fast.