A tug-of-war ensues between Eric and his cantankerous parents over who will adopt a young orphan found hiding in the church.

Eric has to tell his parents that George may have to be given over to his birth father, who has resurfaced; Eric's alcoholic sister is released from rehab.

Eric's no-nonsense father, John ""The Colonel"" (guest star Peter Graves) returns when he learns an array of problems in the Camden household. Mary is jealous of a new member of the basketball team who is getting a lot of the attention. Lucy's declining grades are due to her hanging around with a bad crowd, while Ruthie needs to copy Simon in his quest to be a magician. Meanwhile, Eric is oblivious to all of the family troubles around him as he's preoccupied with writing a sermon that is to be covered by a camera crew. Meanwhile, Annie is doing all the chores at home and at church alone while everyone else is doing their own thing.

Eric and Annie's parents arrive right in the middle of the crisis involving Mary and Matt; and Happy's original owner comes to take him back.

The Colonel and Grandma Ruth return from being out of the country for six months. Simon surprises his grandparents with his new haircut. Matt decides to move out of the house and gets his own apartment with John Hamilton. Aunt Julie's new husband Hank gets Matt a job at his hospital working in the cafeteria. Eric begins to suffer a mild heart attack due to the stress from his job.

Mary, still intent on her independence, finds herself buried under a number of unpaid bills after losing her job at the pool hall. Meanwhile, ""The Colonel"" (guest-star Peter Graves) surprises Eric and Annie with an unexpected visit. Matt blames everyone but himself for his failing grade in organic chemistry class. Lucy enlists Simon to assist her with her Homecoming Queen Campaign to help him gain popularity in school, and Ruthie's prayers are answered when she's transferred out of her nemesis' class and into a prestigious private school.

Eric's stress level rises when he learns that Matt has lost his job at the hospital and is relying on his friends to find him new work. Simon is adding to Eric's tensions by pressuring him to let him get his learner's permit. At the same time, Lucy breaks off her engagement to Jeremy and just cries in her room and refuses to discuss what happened. Robbie, still longing for Mary, is moping around the house as she returns to New York to be with Wilson. Annie's behavior has Eric wondering what's going on with her and suspects she's pregnant.

The Colonel drops by to tell Ruthie about the death of a soldier she has been corresponding with. Ruthie shares her letters with the family. At the memorial service, Eric asks everyone to advocate good deeds and go out into the community, as the family does.

Matt and Sarah grieve over Eric's decision not to attend the nuptials following his argument with Rabbi Glass over Matt's conversion to Judaism. Hoping to patch things up between their fathers, Matt and Sarah seek their mothers' help in persuading them to put aside their differences before it's too late. Ben and Kevin come to Glenoak to meet up with Mary and Lucy so that they can resolve their problems. Robbie tries to figure out why Ruthie wants him to move out of the Camden household.

After learning that he may be the birth father to Sandy’s (guest-star Haylie Duff) unborn child, Martin is left feeling very confused about what to do in his situation, while Simon can’t help but feel responsible for Martin’s dilemma because he introduced

Sandy starts falling for a handsome doctor, and Martin may not be able to handle it. Elsewhere, T-Bone and Ruthie want to do something romantic for Valentine's Day, and they profess their love for each other in an unusual way. The Colonel and Ruth drop by unexpectedly, prompting Lucy and Kevin to leave town, and Eric fears that his parents know about his health problems.