Radar O'Reilly is feeling down as he does not believe that he is a "hot lover" and wants to try to become one so he can attract the various nurses of the 4077th. He relays his concerns to Hawkeye Pierce and B.J. Hunnicutt in The Swamp, and Hawkeye suggests that Radar take a trip to Seoul and try to find a woman there. Radar initially does not want to, but Hawkeye keeps prodding him until he finally agrees. Radar leaves on a Jeep.
Later that day, the 4077th is inundated with wounded. While performing triage outside the OR, Hawkeye realizes one of the wounded soldiers is Radar, who was wounded in the chest by a mortar. Hawkeye insists on performing the surgery, which goes well. Afterwards, he and B.J. go to Rosie's Bar, where Hawkeye drowns his guilt over sending Radar into the path of danger.
The next morning Hawkeye wakes up suffering from a hangover and is in no condition to operate. However, wounded arrive in the compound and Major Winchester insists that Hawkeye rise from his bed and perform his duties as chief surgeon over B.J.'s protests that Hawkeye be allowed to rest. Once Colonel Sherman Potter discovers Hawkeye's condition, he is not pleased and things get worse when Hawkeye has to run out of the OR to vomit during an operation, leaving Winchester to finish.
Potter lectures Hawkeye on his behavior, and tells him to visit Radar, who Hawkeye has been avoiding. Radar, however, is not happy to see him and abruptly calls him "sir" when asking when he will be ready to go back to work. When asked about this formality, Radar says he is angry at Hawkeye for being too hungover to operate. He tells him his actions let a lot of people down.
Hawkeye then responds by dressing Radar down in front of the entire post-op ward. He chastises Radar for his "Iowan naïveté" and holding him up to an impossible standard. Hawkeye then tells Radar that, if he does not appreciate his situation, "the hell with you". Radar is reduced to tears by the diatribe, which leads Hawkeye to call him a "ninny" before leaving.
Heading back to the Swamp, Hawkeye tells B.J. what happened and that he could not believe what he did, saying that he was not being himself and that his overflowing frustration caused him to be "an angry man screaming at Radar". Shortly thereafter Father Mulcahy, Margaret Houlihan, and Colonel Potter come to the Swamp to berate Hawkeye about his behavior.
Hawkeye eventually decides to apologize to Radar, who is still angry and threatens to fight Hawkeye if he ever insults Iowa again.
Later, Potter checks in on Radar and tries to broker a peace between his feuding comrades but Radar is unwilling at first. Later that night in Rosie's Bar, Hawkeye and Radar start to shoot the breeze before Hawkeye apologizes to Radar for his conduct and says that it is okay if he still wants to worship him as a hero. Radar says he would "just as soon not", but eventually the two make peace by trading drinks, as Radar takes Hawkeye's beer while Hawkeye drinks Radar's Grape Nehi.
The episode closes with Hawkeye presenting Radar with his newly-awarded Purple Heart, and warning him to stay out of danger.