Frankie is thrilled when Pam Staggs - the most popular girl in high school who wouldn't give Frankie a second look back then - moves back to Orson and invites her to hang out. But Mike becomes concerned with Frankie when she and Pam begin partying every night and acting like rebellious teenagers. Meanwhile, Mike is shocked to learn that Brick has received the middle school's Athlete of the Month award; Axl tries every trick in the book to get Devin Levin to go out on a date with him, and Sue attempts to take on the oboe, rowing and raising farm animals, thinking that these obscure extracurricular activities will help her get into a good college.

After learning that Aunt Edie has passed away, the Hecks board a train with the body to take her to her final resting place in South Dakota. But along the way, Frankie accuses Mike of not being very caring or nurturing after she trips in the dining car and is helped up by another man, while Mike continues pumping out some ketchup. Axl believes that he was responsible for Aunt Edie's death because he had used the excuse that his Aunt had passed away numerous times to get extensions on his school assignments, Sue attempts to complete her college entry essay and accidentally sends it before correcting an inappropriate sentence and Brick decides to take a risk and live outside his comfort zone by befriending a complete stranger in order to live his life as freely as his late Aunt did.