On her day of graduation, Felicity asks a longtime high school crush, Ben, to sign her yearbook; after she reads his message, in which he says that he would have liked to have known her better, Felicity changes her lifelong college plans to follow Ben to a New York school. There, she meets her quirky (and smitten) resident advisor Noel and her first new friend Julie.

A disappointed Felicity faces the drive home to California without Noel, until he unexpectedly asks her to fly to Berlin with him. She accepts, but Ben's reaction makes her rethink her plans. Meanwhile, Elena's relationship with Prof. McGrath progresses along with her growing unease about the consequences of their affair.

Felicity and Ben are ordered to attend sessions with a counselor, who will help determine their punishment. Ben doesn't show up because he thinks the whole thing is stupid. Felicity gets caught in the middle of her parents' bickering when her mother comes for a visit. She learns that her mother married so young because she was pregnant with Felicity. Felicity blames herself for forcing her mother to give up all her dreams. She seriously considers Ben's suggestion that they chuck everything and take a trip to Vienna. Noel struggles to make up with Ruby after an argument. She reveals the real reason that she is upset: she may be pregnant. Elena gets a ""sexy new lab partner."" She fears that he will distract her from her studies.

As the summer comes to an end, Felicity's father begins nagging her about her future. She hopes to prove that she has a future in her major by gaining admission to the honors art program. Ben returns from the EMT training session and announces that he wants to become a doctor. He signs up for a heavy course-load, and realizes that he will have to stay in school a fifth year to finish his pre-med requirements. Felicity is put off by Ben's sudden sense of purpose, as she expected him to be just as aimless as she is. She begins turning to the jobless Noel for support. Felicity's father comes to town and accuses her of wasting her college years. She becomes furious at his interference and decides to pay for her final year of college herself. She immediately files papers to declare her independence. Felicity shows up late for work while dealing with her crisis, forcing Ben to cover for her. He then arrives late to his first organic chemistry lecture, where the professor locks him