Julia and the rest of the family are in charge of catering for a rich woman's Halloween party. The children are supposed to pretend they are not related to Julia though, as the woman doesn't like family businesses. When Andrew and Keith flirt with the woman's beautiful daughters, Julia 'fires' them. But the boys disguise themselves with costumes and sneak into the party anyway--causing some cases of mistaken identity.

Paige anxiously awaits for a letter to say she has been accepted at Emory, a prestigious out-of-state college. When it arrives, she tells the family that she didn't get in, and will attend the local college. Julia finds out that Paige was actually accepted at Emory. Paige tells her mother that she wants to stay in town to maintain her social status with her friends. But it turns out that she feels responsible for taking care of her mom and brother and sisters and wants to live at home during college.

Already the one who does most of the chores around the house, Andrew also endures a bossy new girlfriend, Gwen. His sisters chide him for behaving passively with a woman, but Andrew claims to be happy. Julia worries that Andrew is confused about male and female roles because she is overbearing and he has no father figure. Finally, Andrew goes to Gwen's house to assert what he wants, angering her. Andrew resents the girls getting involved and ruining his relationship. After another talk with Julia, Andrew returns to Gwen and works out a fair arrangement for both of them.