Kelly agrees to help with the search for Colin when Brandon reveals that Nat could fall victim to the bail bondsman through his business ties to Valerie. Kelly gets in touch with Colin after obtaining his beeper number from Danny. She arranges a meeting and contacts the cops, but Colin realizes that something is amiss and sends Danny to the rendezvous. Donna balks when she and David are asked to produce a music video for Ray. Ray asks for a chance to prove that he has changed. Donna accepts the project after meeting Ray's fiancée, Wendy. Joe decides to quit football and take over as coach at his high school in Pennsylvania. He asks Donna to marry him. She turns him down because she fears that she would regret sacrificing her dreams. Clare is drawn toward Carl as they share memories of her mother. Mrs. Arnold believed that Carl would one day marry Clare and make her a princess.

Colin plans to board a ship and sneak out of the country. He convinces Claudia, his former art dealer, to wire him the $10,000 passage fee. Valerie seeks Jonesy's help to track down Colin, and he sends her a handsome FBI agent. Carl throws Steve a huge 21st birthday bash aboard the Queen Mary and invites all his friends. Andrea surprises Steve by flying in for the party. David and Donna put together a video birthday greeting from friends and relatives who couldn't make the party. They send an inquiry to Brenda's address (she is actually on tour in Scotland), but receive a reply from Dylan. David helps Donna fight off the advances of their lecherous boss. She cools him off by revealing that she is a virgin, and he decides to hit on Kelly instead. Susan receives a chance to work on the presidential campaign. Brandon does not want her to go, and reminds her that he turned down his newspaper job in favor of their summer trip. Joan feels under the weather as she and Nat attend Steve's party

Steve attends the Olympics with Brandon, who spent most of the summer travelling alone. Their car breaks down in Hadley City, a small town in Texas. Steve decides to catch a bus to Houston and fly home to surprise Clare. He discovers that Clare has already left for San Antonio to surprise him. He flies back to San Antonio; thanks to a weather delay, they are able to find each other. Brandon meets a young black woman, who quits her job as assistant librarian after her boss hassles her for talking to him. Brandon's friendship with Mariah riles many of the townspeople; they have confrontations with two redneck mechanics, and her ex-boyfriend and a cohort. Mariah decides to move to New York and write a book about angels. She thanks Brandon for encouraging her to change her life. David constantly criticizes Donna as they try to complete a video shoot with a temperamental singer. Their boss is fired, and David panics at the prospect of losing his contract. Donna ends the partnership after le