Selena Linville comes back to Walton's Mountain and lights a fire under John-Boy to go to Spain and write all about the rebel cause. Elizabeth is jealous of another schoolgirl who has fancier possessions.

When John-Boy is presented with the opportunity to buy a printing press and run his own newspaper, he comes up with a plan that requires him to get a full time job to earn the money to buy the press while still attending school; he finds a job close to school and, to the disappointment of his family, decides to move out of the Walton home to help save time which he stretches thin in his effort to make a dream come true.

Grandma starts a petition to save the old Whitley house, which Grandpa has been contracted to tear down. John-Boy, as editor, writes to suggest that people salvage parts out of the house. Jason plays piano in a music recital.

Now that Mary Ellen is 17, Grandma takes it upon herself to keep the mountain tradition alive by hosting a quilting for her. As a result, Mary Ellen and Grandma stubbornly butt heads because Mary Ellen doesn't want to partake in the custom. John Boy soon makes her see how selfish she's been acting and gets her to participate in it.

When a piece of mill equipment breaks and there's no money for John to fix it, Olivia decides to take a part time job as a dressmaker to help pay the bills. When her designs are a hit with the wealthy women in town and she is given the opportunity to work full time, Olivia is thrilled at the prospect. However, it doesn't take long for her to start missing all the time she's missing to spend with her family and ultimately has to make a decision of what she wants to do. Meanwhile, Maude Gormley, a neighbor of the Walton's, is less than thrilled when her son made a decision for her to move into a retirement home without consulting her first.

While John and Olivia are away for business, John-Boy befriends a young girl who is alone; he takes her home to the family and she cons her way into their good graces, except for Grandfather who suspects she's hiding something; as the girl cons more people it eventually catches up with her and John-Boy learns the truth.

John-Boy is working hard on his novel. But when a fire ravages the Walton house, he is stuck with just a few pieces of charred paper, and his family stuck without a home. Olivia reluctantly agrees to let the children stay with friends until the house is rebuilt. But she starts to see changes in them that she doesn't like, especially in little Elizabeth, who becomes more and more withdrawn. And all the while, John-Boy's guilt about the fire prevents him from beginning his novel again.

Ben plans on going into the fur business when a fox starts nosing around the farm. Meanwhile, Grandpa doesn't seem to want to go to the Spanish American War veterans' reunion, even though he talks so much about his charge up San Juan Hill.

When Jim Bob starts to wonder if he was adopted by the family because of how everyone is making fun of his interests, he soon learns the truth surrounding his birth when he starts investigating what happened when he was born. John-Boy, although overwhelmed with college assignments, feels obligated to write local history articles for Mrs. Breckenridge of the historical society, who had given Jason a music scholarship.

Olivia takes Jim-Bob and Elizabeth on a trip to visit family, but along the way their tire blows out, they get lost in the woods and stumble upon a moonshiner cabin. Out of fear of being caught by authorities, the moonshiners take Olivia and the kids further into the woods and leave them stranded. Meanwhile the Walton men start a search party to find the missing family members who must survive in the woods overnight during a storm.

Ben gets angry and leaves home at the same time Grandpa and John enter a competition with another lumber mill for the big contract. Without knowing, Ben goes to work for the other firm. Grandpa devises a clever scheme to get their lumber to market first.

Mary Ellen leaves home for the weekend to take her entrance exam for nursing school. Unfortunately, she finds she's not properly prepared. The county nurse offers to tutor her in the algebra and chemistry she needs to pass the test in exchange for caring for a sick mother and her children. 

The family helps Vera Walton and her husband Wade navigate a rough patch in their marriage. She cannot get used to the city and he is too used to it. He has fallen into the criminal element.

King Edward VIII abdicates the throne and the Waltons follow the story. Meanwhile, a movie production team is in town and John-Boy reconnects with a friend who's part of the production crew. 

Following the death of her husband, Cousin Olivia visits the family, looking for a way to grieve her unexpected loss. When Elizabeth's cat dies while delivering a litter of kittens not long after Olivia's arrival, the two young women turn to one another deal with their grief.

John-Boy's old girlfriend returns to sell her family home at the urging of her fiancé. Wedding plans end when the fiancé realizes the home is in debt. Olivia helps a disadvantaged student get glasses.

Mary Ellen and Erin fall in love with a forestry student staying and working at their house, who kisses Erin before deciding she is too young and he had better move on, breaking her heart. Olivia decides that she wants another child, but the doctor advises against another pregnancy. He arranges, however, for the family to care for an orphaned baby girl temporarily until the would be adoptive parents are ready. 

John-Boy and Jim-Bob fall in love with a visiting wing walker who is hiding a dark secret.

Jason spends too much time playing with a band. His school work, music lessons, and health begin to suffer. Meanwhile, John-Boy gets a part time job in a library; the librarian wants him to choose it as a profession.

A reporter from New York comes to get material for a guide book on Virginia. John-Boy takes him to see the Baldwin sisters who allow him to look through the late Judge Baldwin's private papers. These reveal that their father was accused of treason for harboring Yankee soldiers during the Civil War. Deeply shocked and hurt, they decide not to leave their house ever again.

John's 25th high school reunion is being planned, but he is apprehensive about facing his highly successful classmates. John-Boy fears he will never make a living as a writer. Jim-Bob makes a profound comment.

Young prize fighter James Travis Clark from Richmond arrives on Walton's Mountain looking for work. He lives in the Walton's barn while training for his next fight. Grandma and Olivia are upset with the whole idea until they find out that James is a minister.

John-Boy's Dean asks him to take care of a 16 year old genius college student for the weekend. It seems that Lyle is wonderful with science and math, but woefully lacking when it comes to dealing with people.

Reverend Fordwick asks John-Boy to deliver the Sunday sermon and Miss Hunter asks Olivia to act as the substitute teacher. It proves to be an interesting experience for both as Reverend Fordwick and Miss Hunter plan their wedding and honeymoon.