Patty Hearst was the heiress to the family fortune founded by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. She was kidnapped by a left-wing terrorist group known as the Symbionese Liberation Army, which used violent means such as kidnappings and assassinations to raise awareness of their cause, and engaged in armed robberies to fund their activities. Their goal was to start a revolution to overthrow the government in order to create a fair and just society. Eventually, Patty began to empathize with her captors, which is called Stockholm Syndrome, and joined their struggle.
Paul McCrane, who directed this episode, co-starred with co-executive producer Eriq LaSalle in ER.