A 4-H farming project has young Steven Apple in an emotional turmoil. The boy cannot accept the fact that the farm animals he is tending will eventually be slaughtered for food.

When one of his sons is hurt in a traffic accident, George decides to fight city hall for a traffic signal on a dangerous street corner.

A story about the Apples' efforts to help a crippled Greek girl who has been corresponding with Patricia. The family is trying to raise enough money to bring the child to Iowa for an operation that could cure her. 

A longtime department store employee is passed over for promotion because she is a woman, prompting Barbara Apple to demonstrate for equal rights and George Apple to become a perfume salesperson.

Trouble  ensues  for the coach of Appleton's high school basketball team after an extended losing streak. Angry students are trying to replace the easygoing man with a coach who promises the town a winning season.

The Apples need to hire a housekeeper, but a mix-up brings them a French teacher instead. Too tender-hearted to fire the old lady, the family decides to start learning French.

When George Apple finds animals being mistreated at a tacky roadside zoo, he swings into action at Cathy's insistence and takes the whole menagerie home with him.