In a working-class neighborhood outside Los Angeles, Mike and Peggy raise eight boisterous boys. There are 10 people, three bedrooms, one bathroom and everyone in it for themselves.
The household is turned upside down when oldest son Lawrence returns home and announces he's quitting the seminary to go off and "save the world." Times are changing and this family will never be the same.
Timmy decides to enter a poetry contest to win the money he needs to repair his ventriloquist dummy; Lawrence complains that there are no fresh vegetables in the family's diet.
Mike proudly introduces a new microwave to the Cleary household; Lawrence attempts to apply lessons from a psych class at school to psychoanalyze Mike and Peggy.
To hide a mess Eddie made, his girlfriend, Wendi, tries to distract Peggy by insisting she take a day off; Peggy accepts the offer and requests Wendi tag along, hoping to teach her a lesson; Pat introduces Timmy to his secret dog.
Timmy must choose between his dad's dreams for him and his own dreams of showbiz glory; feeling rusty after being at the seminary for so long, Lawrence asks Eddie to help prepare him for a date by taking him on a practice date.
Mike comes to the conclusion that Eddie is sexually active and takes it upon himself to give him advice; Joey and Timmy attempt to disrupt Frank's plan to do free yardwork.
Mike and Peggy debate whether they should have another child; Pat overhears that he is going to have a little sister, leading the kids to dig deeper into the situation.
When Peggy's successful brother drops in for Christmas, Mike feels envious; Timmy mistakenly receives $100 from his great-aunt for Christmas; Eddie forgets to get Wendi a Christmas present.
The Cleary boys beg Peggy to tell them she loves them; Mike invites a co-worker to help compel a confession from the child who broke the dining room light fixture.
Frank secretly helps design a set for a musical in which Timmy is performing; Mike grows increasingly concerned that Joey is heading down a shady moral path.
Eddie becomes distraught when Wendi breaks up with him over disagreements on how they want to handle their future; Peggy contemplates whether she has to sever ties with Wendi.
The Clearys feel conflicted when Lawrence and Eddie are drafted to serve in the Vietnam War; Mike and Peggy take matters into their own hands and try to derail Lawrence and Eddie's decision to serve their country.
Peggy tries to trick Timmy into taking better care of his personal hygiene; Mike fears that Peggy's meddling is causing Timmy to develop insecurities; Timmy receives a Valentine's Day card from a secret admirer and becomes unnerved.
Mike and Peggy are stunned when they learn that Father Dunne has a girlfriend; Frank loses the church keys entrusted to him and must find them before anyone else does.
Peggy's knack for reusing wax from old birthday candles to make new ones lures her outside the home for the first time. Her newfound candle-making work takes up more time, prompting Mike to get angry that her focus is straying from the family and the domestic duties. Meanwhile, Timmy is determined to get audience tickets on his birthday for a taping of "Boxcar Billy's Hobo Jamboree" in the hopes of making it on TV.
Mike and Peggy are sympathetic when Wendi's parents split up until Peggy realizes that Wendi's parents left her in the house alone, leaving her and Eddie unsupervised; Joey goes under cover.
Timmy enters a contest to appear on a TV show and takes matters into his own hands when he doesn't hear back; Peggy takes a driving test to get her license.
When Peggy storms out of the house without explanation after a mishap at the grocery store, Mike enlists Wendi to help find her.
A concerned Peggy manipulates William into joining the church choir to keep him engaged in Catholicism after learning he's questioning his beliefs. Meanwhile, Timmy learns that the choir will be appearing on television and once again sees his opportunity to make his way into the spotlight. Elsewhere, Eddie and Joey are determined to get a hold of Led Zeppelin tickets but keep missing their chance.
Peggy discovers that Timmy has a newfound and inappropriate hobby and urges Mike to talk to him about it even though he is reluctant to do so. Despite being uncomfortable, Mike attempts to have a conversation with Timmy about the topic and enlists Lawrence's help in the matter. Elsewhere, Frank is determined to finally catch Joey in a lie.
Peggy's competitive side kicks in when she learns that Helen's husband's professional accomplishments are getting high recognition, so she decides to get Mike into the limelight. Elsewhere, always seeking glory, Joey acts as Timmy's manager to make sure he performs his magic act at the Pioneer Day Carnival, while Eddie is determined to prove to Frank that the carnival games aren't all rigged.
After learning that donations are down at their church, Peggy grows concerned that the cutbacks will affect the nursing home where she is secretly housing a close relative. Mike and Peggy blame the low donations on Father Abdi and disagree with him about how to raise funds. Meanwhile, Joey pet-sits his friend's snake and, in true Joey fashion, uses the snake to his advantage.
Peggy struggles with Lawrence's decision to move out of the house, especially after she discovers that he is secretly moving in with a girlfriend she's never met. Lawrence's determination to keep Peggy out of his personal life only causes her to investigate further, while Mike welcomes his departure. Meanwhile, Timmy can't find his ventriloquist dummy, Knuckles, and learns that Joey took him without asking.
