When the school’s art teacher retires, Janine is thrilled when the replacement ends up being her best friend from college, but things quickly turn sour when Sahar gets in the way of Melissa’s class traditions. Meanwhile, Jacob and Barbara bond over their love for gardening and decide to start a school garden; but when it turns out they don’t know how to successfully grow anything, Gregory secretly gets involved to fix all of their mistakes

It’s Open House night at Abbott Elementary, and while Janine prepares to meet her struggling student’s mother, the rest of the faculty uses the time to relax. Gregory is taken aback when he learns how Ava got the principal job, and later, Barbara’s daughter’s visit creates a commotion in more ways than one when

Barbara’s candle accidentally starts a small fire in the teacher’s lounge and a counselor suggests that she might not be handling the aftermath well. Meanwhile, Melissa rekindles her childhood dream of being a firefighter.

When Barbara's church choir uses the gym for rehearsals, Ava notices tension in the group. Jacob's eagerness for a full social calendar worries Gregory. Melissa and Janine investigate a new substitute.