Event Year: 2004

House is serving out a lengthy prison sentence for his various misdeeds, including his trip outside the country in an attempt to escape responsibility. Entirely cut off from his old life, House determines his current problems are the result of his inability to deal with people. Feeling he will never be able to practice medicine again, he plans instead to go back to university to earn a doctorate in physics – a field that will all but assure his isolation from other human beings.

Over the years, during the course of performing autopsies at Princeton-Plainsboro, Dr. Peter Treiber has often identified mistakes made by physicians that caused the patient's death. These observations have left him questioning the skills of nearly all the doctors on staff… all, that is, except House. When he falls ill, he demands that only House make medical decisions concerning his care. Unfortunately, House and Wilson have taken off on an impromptu road trip without telling anyone, leaving the team to fend alone and lie to their patient to make him believe that House is the guy calling all the shots.

When House and Wilson disappear off the grid for several days, without explanation, the team is left to deal with a difficult case concerning a 6-year old with numerous problems and complications, including an overbearing mother who also happens to be her physician.

House and the team take on the case of a young boy who has violent dreams of being choked, and then wakes up but still can't take in air. Meanwhile, Park is having intimate dreams involving co-workers, which causes the team to question whether or not there's significance to what each of them dreams. Dominika discovers House has been keeping a secret from her and Wilson drops a bombshell on him.