It is high school graduation day for valedictorian Matt, who plans to leave home two months earlier than expected and take an internship inWashington D.C. with first lady Hillary Clinton, and is having trouble getting along with his siblings in his final days. Amid the sobering news of their son's early departure, Annie and Eric struggle to come to terms with news from the family doctor that Mary is pregnant. Also, the Camden kids concoct a plan with the Colonel and Grandma Ruth - who are in town for Matt's graduation - to get Happy back from her former owners. Plus, Annie's father shares some news about he and Ginger.

Matt is edgy, telling only his sibling he found an out of state summer job so he'll leave home in days, not months. Matt finds a brilliant trick to train happy for a TV pet food commercial, but there's a stage-fright complication. Mary rudely scolds Matt, unlike Wilson who leaves diplomatically, for getting physical at home, but her doctor notifies she's pregnant. Lucy cruelly keeps suitors Jimmy and Rod, who both chose Eric as career day model, dangling, but Wilson, who appreciates her help with Billie, arranges a date with Kenny, whom she may really want.

Matt is set up on a blind date for the prom, and finds out she is considered the school tramp. Mary and Lucy have dates for the prom but it turns out disastrous.

Little Sarah James is found wandering on the streets. Warmly welcoming Simon wins her confidence while Eric and a cop friend search and find her pa, Joe, an unrepentant lush and decide a more stable educator is required. Matt meanwhile tiptoes, realizing ma makes a last ditch stand to talk him out of 'moving out' to a Tennessee college, and rudely intruding pest Ruthie first diverts, then scares off his older date Mollie.

French exchange student Guillaume 'Guy' need a host family stat, so Eric volunteers his, without consulting anyone. Only the teenage daughters approve, given the French's lover reputation. That's also why Matt worries and volunteers as chaperone, only to find his date Michelle prefers Paris memories to 'plain' Matt's company. It's worst for Simon, who has to move back with Ruthie so long and gets tempted by her, yet blamed alone, to smoking the cigarettes they 'find' in Guy's luggage. Yet Guy is the first to lose his patience with all those 'stupid Americans'.

Lucy blackmails Matt into taking her to a restaurant to meet some friends, but, on the way there her friend gets in a car accident. Mary comes to the aid of her ex, Wilson, who is desperate to find a babysitter for his son in order to attend his senior prom. Sixth-grader, Simon, will do anything to get away from Ruthie, even if it means moving into the attic.

Simon and his buddy, Nigel, are thrilled—but a little apprehensive—when a popular classmate invites them to one of her famous "make-out" parties. On the same night, Lucy goes to the movies as a decoy, so a grounded Keesha Hamilton can sneak around with her boyfriend, which turns into a blind date when Keesha asks him to bring a friend for Lucy. However, thing turn ugly when Annie and Patricia decide to take Ruthie and Lynne to the same movie theater, and catch the teenagers making out.

Even bright teacher's pet Simon is terrified by new bully science teacher Hunter to the point of faking illness to avoid a private meeting with her about his solar system model, which actually is part of a superb presentation. Softie Matt already turned down dates to the party after Mary's return to the basketball team, yet she bitches at everyone, even hunky jock ex Richard, who ends up making her day.

Matt is as surprised about the sudden stream of calls from girls as his sisters about the cause, a dating ad in the school paper he knew nothing about, yet the editor refuses to retract it. Simon and Ruthie try out a pet products credit-card sent on dog Happy's name. Eric abuses a health crisis of tax official Smith, who is near retirement, to make him rectify an erroneous tax debt transfer.

Lucy faces a tough decision when she finds that her ex-boyfriend, Jimmy Moon, and new boyfriend, Rod, are vying for her affection. Meanwhile Annie and Eric set a bad example for the participants of a marriage-counseling group at the church.

Annie and Eric want to find out what the story is when $2,500 suddenly disappear from the church treasury, and correctly suspect Lou Dalton, but people's opinions of the grouchy church deacon soften when they learn his wife urged him to steal the money to care for their mentally disabled son. Coach Koper flirts with his student, Mary.

Glen Oak Community Church has the opportunity to have a Sunday service televised and the pressure of having to write a five-star sermon is taking its toll on Eric, who holes himself up in his study. Annie realizes she cannot handle so many problems on her own, which include Simon's new career goal and Lucy failing a class. Hearing of the chaos Eric's father—"The Colonel" — arrives from New York and uses old-style military teamwork to restore order in the household. Eric's sermon is interrupted when a mint gets stuck up Ruthie's nose, and she is taken to the hospital.

Because Mary is desperate for a first date since Wilson with his classmate Brian Heaz, who isn't interested in her, Matt pays him $20 to take her out for pizzas. It actually clicks, but after finding out about the plan the ingrate turns on both good boys. Simon uses his own coaching method to teach Ruthie swimming in the bat tub, to save her embarrassing baby class-lessons, but their parents don't trust it. Eric finds he can't fit his jeans anymore, but jogging only makes him hungry, so he pays Matt to sneak in junk-food.

Simon discovers friendly, generous old neighbor Charlotte Kerjesz has concentration camp tattoo. Eric forbids Simon to ask her to help for a history assignment but realizes his son is right after hearing classmate Larry's father spreads holocaust denial. The Camdens are excited to meet Joanne, Matt's first girl since Heather dumped him. Considering her 'too perfect', jealous Lucy and Mary decoded flippantly to hate and ignore her. Joanne overhears them and dumps Matt over his lousy siblings, which stands even after apologies.

Pointed remarks from Lucy and Mary about self-fulfillment prompt Annie to accept the local baker's offer to buy her homemade muffin recipe. Matt's history of failed job attempts makes Eric reluctant to recommend his son as a much-needed hospital companion for the terminally ill son of two church members.

Simon's gentle schoolmate Stan sleeps over but has a horrid nightmare. Simon promises to keep his friend's secret but big brother Matt, who already suspected the boy's weird sister Karen 'Babydoll', spills the beans to dad, who informs the incredulous parents she's in a street gang. The girls fuzz about mall shopping, and Lucy's secretive romantic reason.

Mary is headed for heartbreak when she splits up with long-time boyfriend Wilson. After receiving a "Dear John" letter from his girlfriend Heather, Matt begs his siblings for money, planning an impromptu flight to Philly in order to see her in person.

Simon is surprisingly successful with pa's suggestion to show how mind-games can convince people of crazy ideas by pretending he's shrinking. When he's overheard, Matt turns the tables, only to be beaten in the end. Lucy invited to dinner classmate Shelby, curious about the rumors she suffers from bulimia. Eric lets Mrs. Bing drag him into meddling in a family affair on behalf of her friend Hinkle.

Eric is absolutely positive he knows which of his kids owns a marijuana joint that is dragged into the house by Happy, but Annie warns him not to jump to conclusions. Desperate to keep all of them in one place while he searches, Eric forbids Mary and Lucy from having guests after supper, but changes his mind in order to question Lucy's new boyfriend, Rod, about drugs. Lucy finds a joint in Annie's dresser drawer, and she and Mary suspect their parents are "stoners." Ruthie's attempt at doing her own laundry gives her a whole new wardrobe. Annie reveals a secret about her past to Matt. Eric eventually confronts Matt about the joint he found and while Matt admits he brought it back, he swears he had no intention of smoking it. Eric isn't convinced and drives Matt out of the house, only to see him at the church confessing, making Eric realize he was wrong about everything and promises from now on he will listen to whole story before making a final conclusion.

Simon can't resists reading Matt's letters and thus discovers big brother is secretly married to Heather. Eric can't resist spying on both, and thus falls into a trap. Wilson won't say 'I love you' back to Mary, who refuses to understand he'll only say that again when even more serious then with Billie's late ma. Lucy's friend, new girl at school Laurie, is extremely timid due to her verbally brutal ma, but the scolding root sits deeper.

Eric and Annie look forward to a quiet, more tranquil, household now that all five of the kids are starting a new school year but the first day of classes brings a traumatic experience for each of the Camden offspring: Matt is caught wearing his father's pager; Mary gives Lucy an aspirin; Simon is suspended for cutting his chicken with a butter knife; and Ruthie is nagged by her teacher about wearing a hat.

Annie and Eric decide to renew their wedding vows on their upcoming nineteenth anniversary, but the kids don't share their enthusiasm. Lucy broods over the fact that Jimmy Moon is now dating her rival Ashleigh, while Mary is sour about knee rehab and is becoming distant with her boyfriend. Simon expresses a desire to move out of the room he shared with Ruthie. Eric does his best to offer closure to the widow of a murder victim.