Kevin and his brother try to convince their Dad to buy a color television. Kevin tries to find a present for Winnie after she unexpectedly gives him a present.

When Kevin confronts the school bully, he's driven by his love for Winnie.

Kevin, Winnie and Paul try to stop the destruction of Harper's Woods. This is the place where Winnie and Kevin kissed for the first time and a place they all played together when they were younger.

When Kevin thinks the best he can do in math is a B, his teacher Mr. Collins sets him the task of getting an A and even offers him private lessons. When Mr. Collins suddenly pulls out of the lessons shortly before the exams, Kevin feels betrayed and fills his exam with nonsensical answers.

When Jack begins to complain about dry rot in the house, Kevin begins to think that his father might consider moving. When it is revealed that the Arnolds are staying put and it is the Coopers who are moving out, Kevin buys Winnie a ring as "insurance." Kevin decides to attend Karen's graduation from high school rather than watch Winnie leave.

The family attends Jack's company picnic. Kevin is not looking forward to seeing Mimi Detweiler, who used to have a crush on him. Wayne's new girlfriend Angela annoys everyone but Wayne. Kevin beans Jack with a baseball at the father-son baseball game. Karen leaves for college.

When Kevin and Wayne decide it's too cramped for two grown boys in their bedroom, they decide one of them should be allowed to move into Karen's room, now that she's away at college. The trouble is, who is going to be the one to go?

As Kevin graduates from Junior High, he wants to believe nothing will change, but he learns that things can and do change when he discovers Paul is going to a private school in the coming year. Winnie is also anxious about the future. And Kevin has to drive Mrs. Heimer to the hospital when she goes into labor.

While Kevin tries to take his relationship with Winnie another step, Wayne's friend Wart returns from Vietnam a changed man. Kevin decides to steal the opposing team's mascot at the homecoming football game, but the childish prank is overshadowed by a realization of how Wart has been affected by the war.

Kevin's new friend, Jeff, was the first kid he ever knew whose parents were divorced. Winnie has Kevin set Jeff up with Ann, but Jeff is feeling guilty about the girlfriend he moved away from. Ann is upset that Jeff doesn't want anything to do with her and Winnie blames Kevin! To sort everything out, Kevin drives Jeff to talk it all over with Julie.

After Kevin loses all his money and his car in a poker game, he decides he has to leave the resort - there's nothing to keep him there now. The next day he says goodbye to Winnie, punches Eric and storms out. Hitchhiking out of town, he runs into Winnie who has been fired from her job. They begin to argue and lose the ride they had flagged down. Later, sheltering in a barn they talk about how much has changed between them. Winnie thinks it's just inevitable - that everyone grows up. Kevin doesn't want to believe it and neither does Winnie, not really. They kiss, passionately. The next day they both return to Kevin's hometown for the last 4th of July he will ever spend there. Karen has returned home and she is pregnant...