Sid picks up a young hitchhiker who sets him up by asking him to give her money. When he refuses, she accuses him of rape. Diana has difficulty facing people. Sid's sister, Abby Cunningham, arrives in Knots Landing with her two children. Karen persuades Sid to find a new attorney instead of Richard.

After Sid fires Richard as the attorney, Richard, in a drunken stupor, causes a scene in the cul-de-sac. Karen is angry when she discovers Richard tried to pay off the hitchhiker to drop the charges. Karen remembers a vital clue which results in getting Sid cleared. Abby decides to move to Knots Landing, and becomes a part of prime-time soap history.

Jeff Cunningham is mad that Abby is having an affair with a married man (Richard) in front of the kids. Sid hears Karen talking with Jeff, and tells her not to discuss Abby with him. Karen says that Sid is blind to Abby, but he defends her and they argue. Jeff files for custody of the kids. He and Abby talk, and he admits he wants her back. Abby sleeps with him so he'll drop the case, and then tells him that it was a one-time thing. Jeff is angry and says she's not playing 'fair' with him. One of Laura's clients kisses her, but she says she can't cheat on Richard. Abby tells Richard that it's over between them.

Jeff picks up the kids and Abby is afraid he has kidnapped them when she can't locate them. Jeff finally returns them and says they were camping. Ginger's sister Cindy visits, and gives Eric marijuana to hold for her. Sid finds it and is very upset. At a party, Cindy freaks out and runs into the ocean. Eric saves her, but she's in a coma. The doctor says the pot had angel dust in it. Eric is upset as everyone blames him, thinking it's his pot. Cindy finally wakes up, and tells everyone that it wasn't Eric's pot.

Abby is upset and trying to find her children. She answers the phone and it's Olivia, but the line goes dead. After that, she doesn't want to leave the house in case Olivia calls again. But this doesn't stop her from dating; she just has them sleep over. Val and Gary see a newscast about Lilimae helping to sop a thief. The news says Lilimae is homeless, so Val invites her to their house. The next day, Lilimae is arrested for shoplifting, but the jude says he'll only give her six months probation if Val and Gary assume responsibility for her. Val invites her to stay with them.

Richard's boss asks him to procure prostitutes for clients and he does. When Val receives a postcard from Olivia, a detective is able to find the kids. Abby goes there and Jeff tells her that the state won't honor California custody laws. Abby begins manipulating Jeff, but he tells her that he knows what she is doing. Abby perseveres, and soon has Jeff back in love with her. She agrees to remarry him and they all drive back to Knots Landing. On the day of the wedding, Jeff and his mother wait at the Court House for Abby to show up. Instead, a deputy shows up and serves Jeff a restraining order so he can't see his children or esle he will be arrested for kidnapping. Karen later tells Abby that she really hurt Jeff. Abby replies, ""He hurt me. Nobody does that!""

Lilimae meets Jackson Mobley, who promises to make her a star. He steals $200 from Kenny and Ginger, and then asks Lilimae to marry him. They go to Las Vegas. When he finds out she's poor, he admits he was trying to con her. Jackson convinces a lounge manager to let Lilimae sing. Val and Gary rush to Las Vegas to stop the wedding, and are relieved to find out they didn't get married. Richard is tired of being the company pimp and takes his anger out on Laura. Laura runs to Scooter's, only to find out that he is getting back with his wife. Richard continues to yell at Laura, and she starts screaming and slaps him. Abby asks Gary to perform a skit with Olivia on ""Father's Night"". As Gary, Abby and the kids get into the car, Abby says, ""See, we're a real family!"" This upsets Val, and Lilimae tells her she'd better watch out for Abby.

Karen's brother, Joe Cooper gets a job as a visiting professor at USC and moves in with them. Rusty, an old boyfriend of Val's comes to town and abandons his daughter Cricket at the Ewings. Upset at being abandoned, Cricket lies, steals and accidentally hurts Olivia. Val reluctantly takes Cricket to a shelter, but reconsiders and brings her back home. Gary finally locates Rusty, and Val confronts him, and he decides to come back for Cricket.

Karen and Laura visit Richard in the hospital where he is getting better. Val makes a romantic dinner for Gary, but he says he has a meeting with Abby and a client and he promised she'd baby-sit Olivia. Upset, Val takes Olivia and they drive into the mountains. They eat at a diner, but she forgot her wallet, so she waitresses to pay for the meal. A truck has overturned on the freeway, so they have to stay overnight. The diner owner kisses Val, but she says she can't sleep with him. Meanwhile with Val away, Gary and Abby sleep together but he's consumed with guilt. Lilimae sees Gary's car at Abby's and waits up for him, but he doesn't come home. The next day, Val apologizes to Gary and says she'll be more lenient with his business. They hug, and Lilimae shoots Gary a look that could kill!

Joe needs a date for a faculty dinner. Kenny suggests he take Ginger, so he does. Richard is ready to go home, and tells Laura he'd like to be part of the baby's birth. Laura goes to see his doctor who tells her only to go back to him if she's there to stay, but not if it's out of pity. Gary and Abby continue their affair, but he feels so guilty, he ends it. However, he keeps watching Abby from the window, and Val is extremely suspicious. Val asks Gary if they're having an affair, and he locks himself into the bathroom. Val then goes to see Abby, who tells her ""I'm not saying we are having an affair, and I'm not saying we're not. I am saying that I can have him anytime I want."" Val slaps Abby. Later, Gary sees Abby and kisses her.

Jeff Munson tells Abby he'd only work with Ciji if he produces her. Abby says not to worry - she won't let Kenny stand in their way. Ginger shows Kenny a song she wrote, and when Ciji sings it that night at Daniel, Ginger is furious. She yells at Ciji that it is HER song, and she will get Ciji for this. Diana collapses and needs a kidney transplant. Karen doesn't handle it well, and the boys ask Mac to come to the hospital to support her. Karen rejects him at first, but then lets him comfort her. Karen and the boys don't match Diana's blood type, and therefore can't donate their kidneys. Karen asks Abby to be tested.

Laura and Ciji become friends and spend time together. It's Ciji's 25th birthday and Chip calls and says he's hung up at work, so Laura gets her a cake. Kenny hears rumors that Jeff is taking over their record label, but Gary assures him it's not true. Abby refuses to donate her kidney at first, but then decides to after talking to Diana. Karen thanks her but Abby says she's doing it for Sid and Diana, NOT for her. Chip gives Diana the necklace he bought for Ciji's birthday and tells her he loves her. Surgery goes fine and both Diana and Abby are okay. Karen goes into Abby's room while she's sleeping and kisses her on the forehead.

Eric goes to the hospital and tells Diana that he's glad that Sid isn't around. He reminds Diana that Sid died in order to bring someone to justice, and would be disgusted with her. Diana tells the police that she will testify. Laura tells Gary that he is to Val as alcohol is to him, and that if he doesn't have plans to get back together with her, he needs to leave her alone, as stringing her along is cruel. Gary tells Abby he'll marry her, and they do. Dr. Bovine suggests that Lilimae be put in Lakevail Sanitarium. At Lakevail, Lilimae begs Val not to leave her there, and they both cry. At home, Val calls Gary for support. Olivia answers and tells Val that Gary and Abby are on their honeymoon. At the hotel, Gary orders room service. The waitress looks exactly like Ciji, and Gary is dumbfounded.

Ben proposes to Val and says he'll raise the baby as his own. She accepts.Cathy tells Gary that she killed a man in self defense (but she really took the blame for a murder that Ray committed). She says Abby hired her to divert him from her business dealings, but she fell in love with him. Laura tells the MacKenzies about Apaloon and Mark St. Claire. Mack barges into Abby's office, but she denies knowing anything. She tells Westmont if Gary finds out and sues her she would win. She can claim he's mentally unstable because he's been trying to re-create Ciji, a dead girl. Greg gives a press conference saying Abby got the variance and re-instates Mac. Gary confronts Abby, who feigns innocence. He loses it and starts trashing the room and screams at her to get out of his life. Abby runs to Greg's, only to find him in bed with Laura. Abby tries to talk to Gary, but he tells her to contact him through his lawyer.

Gary freezes the assets of Gary Ewing Enterprises and seals the office. When Val is overcome by pain from her pregnancy, her doctor forbids her to accompany Ben to El Salvador. After Abby orders Cathy off the ranch, Gary tells Cathy that she may stay as long as she wishes. When Gary says that he intends to file for divorce, Abby says she doesn't want a divorce. Later, Gary and Cathy consummate their relationship. When Mack resumes his job on the crime commission upon a request from the governor, Sumner becomes suspicious of Mack's intentions.

Gary is murdered, and Val flips out. Abby is in shock. Cathy decides to leave the ranch and Laura invites her to stay with her. Cathy tells Laura she never murdered anyone and took the blame for Ray. Detective Morrison tells Abby that she is a suspect in Gary's murder, and he wants to know about Wolfbridge. Ben is alive, but badly injured and delirious, and is being taken care of by nuns in a mission. At Gary's funeral, Abby tells Val that she is Gary's widow, not Val. Laura tells Val that when she and Gary were seeing each other, Gary only married Abby so that Val would go on with her life. So he married Abby because he loved Val, not Abby. As the funeral begins, Morrison asks Cathy to come downtown for questioning. At the police station, Cathy goes into a room and Gary's there - ALIVE - and they start to kiss.