
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.

The surgeons suffer a barrage of preferential treatment from the enlisted personnel when they are placed on the camp's promotion board.

A no-nonsense colonel visits the 4077th during an outbreak of April Fools' Day pranks.

Frank decides to make money by auctioning off the camp garbage; Hawkeye's love life suffers a serious attack.

Hawkeye faces a court-martial when his running feud with Frank flares up while Col. Potter is out of the camp and Frank is in charge.