While Andy is away in Raleigh considering a job offer, Barney is left as acting sheriff and dreams of the day he'll have the job. When he ends up causing more trouble than he prevents, he wonders if he really wants the job as much as he thought.

Aunt Bee is elated when she is cast in the lead role in the Mayberry Centennial Pageant. When it becomes apparent she is not the actress she thinks she is, Andy devises a way for her to get a first-hand look at some real talent.