The first episode of Little Disasters opens with a voice questioning the charade that Jess maintains as the perfect mother. The scene then shifts to Jess anxiously rushing her ten-month-old daughter, Betsey, to the hospital. As they arrive, nurse Sheila informs doctor Liz that she is needed in A&E to examine a sick child.
Liz hurries to the examination room to find Jess, and they both recognize each other as longtime friends. However, Jess prefers another doctor, but unfortunately, the other doctors are busy, so Liz is allowed to examine Betsey. Jess claims she was asleep when her husband woke her, saying that Betsy was sick. She thinks the baby may have the flu or something.
Liz calls Dr Morris to act as a chaperone as she examines Betsey. She finds some bruising on her forehead and asks if the baby fell. Initially, Jess denies anything happened, but then changes her statement, admitting that Betsey fell while crawling. Apparently, the accident happened around 5-5:30 pm when Jess was in the kitchen making a snack for her son, Frankie. She gets defensive, saying, "I can't watch them every second."
Troubled by Jess's explanation, Liz makes a call to her supervisor, Dr Neil. He also finds Jess's explanation suspicious and claims that unless Betsey was crawling at the edge of a cliff, her injury makes no sense.
In an interview, Liz worries that the Jess she saw that night at the hospital was not the one she knew. They met for the first time a decade ago when they were all attending a mother's group. Afterwards, Liz found herself stuck on the toilet seat, prompting Jess to assist her. The two quickly became friends. Liz admitted that her mother was present but useless, while Jess explained that her family was far away.
Currently, Liz admits Betsey into the ICU as she waits for the CT scan results. She confesses to Sheila that she is conflicted about what to do next. Sheila advises her to remember she is the child's doctor. Meanwhile, Jess calls Ed and informs him that Betsey has had her initial assessment, but the doctors are not saying much. She spots Liz and hangs up the call.
As Liz gets the results of the CT scan, she starts thinking the worst of Jess. Sadly, Betsey has a skull fracture and subdural haematoma. She informs Jess that they need to keep Betsey to avoid any further damage. Once again, Liz asks what happened and explains that accidents can occur. She uses herself as an example, promising not to judge. Unfortunately, Jess sticks to her story, leaving Liz with more questions than answers.
Liz's heart pounded with indecision as she dialed the child protective services hotline, her mind reeling with Jess's incomprehensible explanation. Protocol dictated that she report any suspicious, unexplained injuries, and her conscience couldn't rest until she did so. Meanwhile, Jess's thoughts raced back to the night Ed had roused her with a sense of urgency in his voice, too drunk to drive Betsey to the hospital and pleading with Jess to take her instead.
In a subsequent interview, Charlotte, one of Jess's friends, firmly believed Liz had acted rightly by calling social services, while Mel disagreed. At home, Ed prepared breakfast for his sons, Frankie's anxiety palpable as he wondered if Jess and Betsey would be back in time for his birthday party. Ed reassured him they would be and called for reinforcements to help with the celebration. Charlotte grabbed Mel to lend a hand too, and in their conversation, she let slip that she suspected Frankie was on the autism spectrum.
A flashback took us back to the mothers' group, where the women shared their birth plans. Mel's pregnancy was unplanned, so she was essentially flying by the seat of her pants. Charlotte was excited about delivering her baby in a posh hospital, while Jess desired a home birth with a doula. It was at this meeting that Charlotte and Ed had run into each other, revealing they had attended college together. In her interview, Charlotte criticized Jess for being one of those "earth-mother types," unfazed by the conventional norms of childbirth.
As the day progressed, Dr. Neil made his rounds to check on Liz and tasked her with the crucial message to inform Jess that social services were on their way. Meanwhile, Lucy, an officer from social services, arrived on the scene, and Liz and Dr. Neil filled her in on the intricate details of the case. Liz emphasized that Jess had a deep-seated mistrust of hospitals and doctors, but was an exemplary mother. She recounted a flashback of how Jess had been so adept at handling her child during difficult times.
Before the police arrived, Liz took a moment to speak with Jess, confessing that she had called social services. Jess was taken aback, feeling that Liz had acted maliciously. Back at home, Ed, Charlotte, and Mel were busy preparing for Frankie's party, with Ed trying to reach out to Jess via phone calls that went unanswered. At the hospital, Jess relayed the same story to Lucy about Betsey's injury.
Liz's shift ended, and she rushed home, filled with guilt for involving social services in Jess's life but justifying her actions by claiming she needed to protect Betsey. She was also concerned about Jess's mental state, unaware of the recent fallout that had occurred between them.
Back at the hospital, Lucy and Neil informed Jess that she needed to leave and that any future interactions with Betsey would be supervised. For a brief moment, Jess imagined herself grabbing Betsey and making a run for it, but in her mind's eye, she saw Betsy get hit by a bus.
At home, Ed continued with the party oblivious to what was happening at the hospital. In an interview, Liz admitted to judging Ed and Jess for going ahead with the party. Jess arrived home and sneaked into Betsey's nursery, overwhelmed by emotions as she cleaned before curling up on the floor. Worried, Liz dropped by the party and realized that Jess had kept Ed in the dark. She warned him about the social service visit just as the police and Lucy arrived.
Everyone was shocked when the police showed up, and the party ended in a disaster. Jess harshly judged herself, claiming no one could be harder on her than herself, especially since she was the only one who knew what she had done.
