A tug-of-war ensues between Eric and his cantankerous parents over who will adopt a young orphan found hiding in the church.

Eric has to tell his parents that George may have to be given over to his birth father, who has resurfaced; Eric's alcoholic sister is released from rehab.

Eric and Annie's parents arrive right in the middle of the crisis involving Mary and Matt; and Happy's original owner comes to take him back.

The Colonel and Grandma Ruth return from being out of the country for six months. Simon surprises his grandparents with his new haircut. Matt decides to move out of the house and gets his own apartment with John Hamilton. Aunt Julie's new husband Hank gets Matt a job at his hospital working in the cafeteria. Eric begins to suffer a mild heart attack due to the stress from his job.

As Annie plans a mysterious day of cleaning as Eric discovers the shocking news that Mary ran away from ""The Colonel""'s to come back home because of a devious scheme she had with Robbie and freaks out. Eric is convinced that more trouble is brewing and goes to insane lengths to find answers. In reality, Mary is heading home for a huge surprise birthday party for Eric, attended by all the people whose lives he's changed for the better in the past few years. Chores at home are interrupted, however, when Ruthie discovers Frankie and Johnny's baby, Mercy at the Camden front doorstep. Meanwhile, Lucy stays with her friend Mike's (guest-star Jeremy Lelliot) near catatonic mother for the day, and drops a proverbial bomb on Lucy. Also, Matt and Simon try to figure out why they delivered Mrs. Bink (guest-star Eileen Brennan) to the hospital.

Matt and Sarah grieve over Eric's decision not to attend the nuptials following his argument with Rabbi Glass over Matt's conversion to Judaism. Hoping to patch things up between their fathers, Matt and Sarah seek their mothers' help in persuading them to put aside their differences before it's too late. Ben and Kevin come to Glenoak to meet up with Mary and Lucy so that they can resolve their problems. Robbie tries to figure out why Ruthie wants him to move out of the Camden household.

Eric is stunned to find out the church has hired a new associate pastor to help out while he recovers from his heart surgery. Meanwhile, Lucy is furious when she and Ruthie spot Kevin and Roxanne in a jewelry store--as she thinks they're picking out her engagement ring together without her. Meanwhile, Simon listens unenthusiastically as Cecilia tells him all about her new French boyfriend. Lastly, a loud, chain-smoking housekeeper sent by The Colonel arrives to provide order in the Camden household.

After learning that he may be the birth father to Sandy’s (guest-star Haylie Duff) unborn child, Martin is left feeling very confused about what to do in his situation, while Simon can’t help but feel responsible for Martin’s dilemma because he introduced

Sandy starts falling for a handsome doctor, and Martin may not be able to handle it. Elsewhere, T-Bone and Ruthie want to do something romantic for Valentine's Day, and they profess their love for each other in an unusual way. The Colonel and Ruth drop by unexpectedly, prompting Lucy and Kevin to leave town, and Eric fears that his parents know about his health problems.