A meteorite crashes through the roof of the Baldwin sisters' "Recipe" room, which they take as some kind of sign from their dead Papa. Grandpa takes it as a sign of his impending death; Ben takes it as a sign he will win the fourth grade spelling bee. Cousin Polonius Baldwin at first plans to exploit the meteorite for financial gain, then tries to steal their "Recipe machine".

A troubled teenager from Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, whose father was murdered by a gangster, runs away from the Civilian Conservation Corps to Walton's Mountain. The Waltons take him in and teach him that he can trust some people, and he doesn't have to fight for everything he gets.