Since concern for Sutton's safety seems to be occupying Emma's mind, she starts to let pieces of her own personality emerge. Although Emma is worried by her behavior, it seems her friends and family are enjoying the change in Sutton's character. Wanting to please the father she never had, Emma must learn to ballroom dance for the annual father-daughter dance. Realizing she is in dire need of assistance, Ethan offers to help, in turn risking revealing his and Sutton's secret relationship. Will Emma be able to put aside her worries for Sutton and shine on the dance floor? Or will the night's series of events force her to reveal her true identity?

Meanwhile, as the teenagers do anything to keep their secrets, the parents may be lying to keep life-altering secrets of their own.

Emma is forced to go up against Neesha for Homecoming queen which causes problems with her and Sutton. Sutton and Emma both try to find more info on their mom while Alec and Ted try to hide it.

Sutton is furious when she learns that Emma and Ethan kissed. Sutton and Emma continue to find more info about their mom. Meanwhile, Laurel becomes suspicious when Justin keeps breaking dates. Also, Mads learns Edwardo is moving and Char goes on a date with a boy she found in her pool.

Secrets abound in the Mercer household and Emma has had about enough of it. When she overhears an argument between Ted and Kristen, Emma thinks she finally can put a stop to all of the lies and get some real answers out of Sutton's mom. But does Emma really think that she could pry the truth out of a secret that has been hidden for almost seventeen years? Or will the secret Kristen has been hiding turn out to be not the biggest secret lurking around the Mercer house?

Meanwhile, Sutton gets a glimpse into what Emma's life has been like when she is forced to pretend to be her sister while in Las Vegas.

On their seventeenth birthday, Emma's ideal life is about to come to an end when a vengeful Sutton makes her way back to Phoenix to get her life back.

It's been a tough night for Emma and Ethan, and things are about to get tougher when they find Sutton has disappeared after their argument and the Mercer family car is missing from the garage. When the police find the car at the bottom of the lake, Emma and Ethan look to each other for support, but Thayer threatens to tear them apart with his accusations against Ethan. Meanwhile, Char's aunt, Rebecca (guest star Charisma Carpenter, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), has returned to town and Char is the only one happy about it.