Colin visits Kelly and announces that he has kicked his cocaine habit. Kelly maintains that they are bad for one another and breaks up with him. Kelly gets a roommate, a troubled teenage runaway named Tara. Valerie has the house to herself as Steve and Brandon leave for a ski weekend with Clare, Susan and David. She hooks up with Colin. Susan challenges Brandon to a ski race, and they leave the designated runs. Susan injures her ankle on a jump, and the duo must fight the elements while awaiting a rescue team. Depressed by his split with Valerie, David mopes around the lodge. Everyone keeps introducing him to blonde girls named Mary. Donna hears news of a medical breakthrough that could save Joe's career. She must convince Joe to pursue the treatment (he doesn't want to get his hopes up), and goad her father into using his connections to Joe's benefit.

Brandon and Susan spend the weekend at her parents' house. Susan's mother asks Brandon very intrusive questions during dinner. Mrs. Keats expects Brandon to sleep in the guest room, but Susan sneaks him into her room during the night. Mrs. Keats catches Brandon in bed with Susan the next morning. She expresses her disappointment, and Susan shares her frustration at the expectations placed upon her since her sister's death. Kelly befriends Tara. Colin and Valerie's new relationship upsets David and Kelly. Val orders David to mind his own business. Colin's old dealer, Danny, tempts him with some cocaine. Colin agrees to drive him to a drug house in Torrance. When the police arrive, a panicked Colin drives off and leads them on a high-speed chase. The gang watches the chase unfold on television, and is shocked to see that Colin is the driver. Joe's older brother Hank comes to town and tries to discourage him from undergoing surgery. Donna suspects that Hank is jealous of Joe's potential t

Valerie puts the club up as collateral to bail Colin out of jail. She also offers to spring for a high-priced attorney, as the public defender wants to plea bargain. Colin is terrified by the thought of spending time in prison. Kelly comes home from rehab and receives a surprise call from Colin. Donna is put off by the frequent phone calls from a lonely Tara. Tara runs away from the center. Kelly and Donna pick her up and give her refuge for the night. A medical student asks Kelly on a date. Clare and Susan resolve to reunite Nat and Joan, who have broken up because their relationship lacks its past magic. Clare, Susan, Brandon and Steve organize a romantic evening for the couple. They take them to many of the places that were special to them in 1971 and help them recapture their passion. Joe undergoes successful surgery and plans to return to football.

Music: ""Time of the Season"" by the Zombies (#3, 1969); ""At Last"" by Etta James

Rush dumps Ryan and Austin off on Steve on the same day that he is hosting a fraternity party. He doesn't keep a close eye on the boys, and they drink everything in sight. Ryan becomes very ill and Greg (Kelly's med student date) diagnoses him with alcohol poisoning. He has to be rushed to the hospital, and his father blames Steve. Kelly invites Tara to stay with her after she finishes her stint in rehab. Tara becomes enraged when Kelly dates Greg, as she wants all of Kelly's attention. Colin's lawyer recommends that he plead guilty in exchange for a short sentence at a minimum security facility. Valerie persuades him to take the deal. Val goads Colin into attending Steve's party, but bristles when he shares a tender moment with Kelly. Donna and David videotape the party for a late-night campus program called C.U. Later.

Brandon, Steve and Joe go on a camping trip with Susan, Clare and Donna. The girls become jealous when the guys repeatedly ignore them to help some damsels in distress. Clare, Donna and Susan offer shelter to the tentless girls, and make their boyfriends sleep in the car. Kelly feels guilty about leaving Tara alone to go bowling with Greg; she convinces David to make it a double date. Tara sabotages Kelly's relationship with Greg. Valerie tries to arrange a truce between Colin and his estranged father, an artist who lost his sight in Vietnam. Colin is afraid to reveal his legal problems, but Mr. Robbins already knows the truth and has come to offer his support.

Kelly tries to coax Tara into moving out, as the hospital has found her a place to live. Tara retrieves some belongings, including her photography equipment, from a friend. Kelly does not realize that Tara has a gun in her suitcase. After Kelly speaks of her hatred for Valerie, Tara sneaks out during the night and keys ""Die Val"" on the side of Valerie's car. Val believes that Kelly is responsible, while Colin gets into a fight with David (who had earlier given him a lot of attitude). Tara freaks everyone out by copying Kelly's hair style and color. Donna and David film a music video for an up and coming band. Donna must appear in the video after the female star fails to show. Joe is unhappy to see her dancing around in a revealing outfit. The Boston Globe offers Brandon a summer internship and chance at a great post-college job. He rejects the offer because he and Susan had already planned a cross-country trip for the summer.

Tara makes a pass at Brandon and purposely overfeeds Kelly's fish. Kelly orders her to move out. Kelly snoops in Tara's suitcase and discovers that she had lied when she claimed not to know her parents' whereabouts. Kelly enrages Tara by calling her parents. Tara holds Kelly at gunpoint and forces her to go for a drive up the coast. Kelly tries to escape when they pull over, but Tara knocks her out. She ties up Kelly, hooks a hose up to the car, and plans to kill Kelly and herself through carbon monoxide poisoning. Kelly tricks Tara into untying her, then gets the gun away. Tara is admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and her mother thanks Kelly for saving her life. The judge nixes the deal between Colin's lawyer and the district attorney. Citing the fact that he endangered lives with his hazardous driving, he sentences Colin to two years in prison. Carl, a prince and longtime friend of Clare's family, comes for a visit. He makes friends with Steve and tries to prove that he is not the