Hank is faced with an impossible decision at work, as his department's jobs are on the line; Lily settles into a new normal in New York.

Hank contends with the return of his father to Railton; Lily hunts for apartments in New York; Julie looks to Hank for help in Lily's absence. 

Hank and Tony travel to an academic conference, where their differing philosophies on work and life cause friction; Lily mediates trouble in Julie and Russell's marriage.

Hank and Lily host the annual English department dinner; Lily has a decision to make; Hank's past involving his troubled relationship with his father catches up to him.

Amid firing rumors, the professors look to the union to protect their jobs, while Hank tries a different approach. Lily interviews for a job at a prestigious New York prep school.

Hank spirals when a storage pod full of his father's belongings is dropped in his front yard; the professors spiral when rumors of budget cuts threaten their tenured jobs.

When George Saunders visits Railton College, the professors scramble to impress the celebrated writer, while Hank is reminded of his own failed writing career; Hank and Lily anticipate an announcement from their daughter Julie.

Hank rants against Railton College, calling it "Mediocrity's Capitol," and the administration is pressured to fire him; Hank and Lily contemplate a future outside of Railton.