One of Olivia's new pleasures is watching the regular passage overhead of the airplane carrying mail between Washington D.C. and Atlanta. When engine trouble causes the pilot to land in the Walton's meadow, the family puts the pilot up while repairs are being made. Meanwhile the family is busy with plans for Olivia's upcoming birthday, which is causing her to question whether she has really achieved anything during her life.

Growing pains cause havoc on Walton's Mountain. Grandma's upset as her 68th birthday approaches, qualifying her for an "Old Age" pension, and she frustrates everyone by refusing to seek help for dizziness and a hearing problem. John-Boy craves private, quiet space for an office in an attached cabin, but Mary Ellen is told she can use the space as her bedroom. A visiting college boy Mary Ellen encounters at the lake plunges her into confusion when he kisses her, despite being several years older.