In the first season of this medical drama, a group of surgical interns, including Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), George O'Malley (T. R. Knight) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), begin working at Seattle Grace Hospital. On the night prior to her first day, Meredith goes to a local bar and sleeps with a man she never expects to see again. The man turns out to be neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), one of her new bosses. Izzie accuses Meredith of sleeping with her boss to get ahead, and as the season progresses, a complicated romance develops between Meredith and Derek.