Chip gets a relief from boredom when Steve's friend invites him to a birthday celebration for his "honorable" grandfather, and Robbie finds it hard to keep up with a new girl at school who seems unimpressed with him.

Steve's reluctance to make a business trip to Rome with the family puzzles everyone in the Douglas household except Bub. He remembers that Steve and his late wife were once there and that the place may hold too many memories for him.