Lawrence returns home and announces he's quitting the seminary to go off and "save the world." Times are changing and this family will never be the same.

Timmy decides to enter a poetry contest to win the money he needs to repair his ventriloquist dummy; Lawrence complains that there are no fresh vegetables in the family's diet.

After Eddie breaks a bottle of booze in his room, his girlfriend, Wendi, tries to distract Peggy by insisting she takes the day off. Peggy accepts but insists Wendi accompany her, hoping to teach her a lesson.

Timmy must choose between his dad's dreams for him and his own dreams of showbiz glory; feeling rusty after being at the seminary for so long, Lawrence asks Eddie to help prepare him for a date by taking him on a practice date.

Mike comes to the conclusion that Eddie is sexually active and takes it upon himself to give him advice; Joey and Timmy attempt to disrupt Frank's plan to do free yard work.

When Peggy's successful brother drops in for Christmas, Mike feels envious; Timmy mistakenly receives $100 from his great-aunt for Christmas; Eddie forgets to get Wendi a Christmas present.

The Cleary boys beg Peggy to tell them she loves them; Mike invites a co-worker to help compel a confession from the child who broke the dining room light fixture.

Frank secretly helps design a set for a musical in which Timmy is performing; Mike grows increasingly concerned that Joey is heading down a shady moral path.

Eddie becomes distraught when Wendi breaks up with him over disagreements on how they want to handle their future; Peggy contemplates whether she has to sever ties with Wendi.

The Clearys feel conflicted when Lawrence and Eddie are drafted to serve in the Vietnam War; Mike and Peggy take matters into their own hands and try to derail Lawrence and Eddie's decision to serve their country.

Peggy tries to trick Timmy into taking better care of his personal hygiene; Mike fears that Peggy's meddling is causing Timmy to develop insecurities; Timmy receives a Valentine's Day card from a secret admirer and becomes unnerved.

Mike and Peggy are stunned when they learn that Father Dunne has a girlfriend; Frank loses the church keys entrusted to him and must find them before anyone else does.

Peggy's talent for reusing wax from old birthday candles to create new ones leads her to pursue candle-making work; Timmy is determined to get audience tickets for a taping of "Boxcar Billy's Hobo Jamboree."

Mike and Peggy are sympathetic when Wendi's parents split up until Peggy realizes that Wendi's parents left her in the house alone, leaving her and Eddie unsupervised; Joey goes under cover.

Timmy enters a contest to appear on a TV show and takes matters into his own hands when he doesn't hear back; Peggy takes a driving test in order to get her license.

When Peggy storms out of the house without explanation after a mishap at the grocery store, Mike enlists Wendi to help find her.

Peggy manipulates William into joining the church choir to keep him engaged in Catholicism; Eddie and Joey are determined to get a hold of Led Zeppelin tickets.

Peggy discovers that Timmy has a newfound and inappropriate hobby and urges Mike to talk to him about it; Mike tries to talk to Timmy about the topic and enlists Lawrence's help in the matter; Frank is determined to catch Joey in a lie.

After learning that donations are down at their church, Peggy grows concerned that the cutbacks will affect the nursing home where she is secretly housing a close relative; Mike and Peggy blame the low donations on Father Abdi.

Peggy struggles with Lawrence's decision to move out of the house; Timmy can't find his ventriloquist dummy, Knuckles, and learns that Joey took him without asking.