Mark takes Ben to Mama Jolie, a woman with alleged magical powers, to seek a remedy for Ben's lack of appetite. Ultimately, Mark and Tom help her son Geoffrey who is in the country illegally- they stop him from running and hiding and put him in touch with Immigration authorities.

Looking for an injured deer they saw the day before, Mark and Ben hitch a ride directly into the area which becomes engulfed in a wildfire. The instinctively go to the river to seek refuge from the fire and Tom rescues them in the airboat.

Feeling neglected by his hard-working father, Mark's friend Jamie runs away from home. He hides in a shipwreck but it is in danger of being washed out to sea in a fierce storm. Based on a hunch, Mark leads everybody to the boat and they rescue Jamie.

Two armed criminals run into the swamp to elude the police after robbing a jewellery store. Tom, Mark and Ben are camping in the same area. While Mark and Ben are elsewhere, the fugitives force Tom to take them to another part of the swamp in his airboat to help their escape. Tom gets away from them and while they search for him, he overpowers one of them and Ben the other.

Tom's boss visits and offers him the job of District Manager, which means more money, no danger, and a move to the big city. The family visits the city and are impressed by the parks, schools, office, and culture. However they are less impressed by the unfriendly people, bad traffic and rude drivers. They also would have to get rid of Ben. When they get back home they decide that they like it just where they are.

Farmer Lloyd Larkin thinks local alligator Ol' Joe has turned rogue and is eating his pigs and chickens. Tom offers to catch him and move him away, enlisting the help of champion alligator wrestler Boomhauer. Mark and Ellen go fishing and discover that the pigs and chickens are actually being stolen by Larkin's farmhands. Tom captures them after a long chase and Larkin realizes Ol' Joe is harmless, and states that now ""Ol' Joe's gotta stay.""

After Mark has a series of mishaps that soil three pairs of Tom's pants, Tom is angry at him. Feeling unwanted, Mark moves in to Ben's shed. While fishing, a fisherman comes by the river and hires Mark as his guide. The small boat overturns at a rough spot in the river and Mark and Mr. Carter are threatened by alligators and a cougar. Tom hears the commotion and scares off the alligators while Ben scares off the cougar. Mark and Tom have a heart-to-heart conversation and clear the air between them.