Having spent a portion of the previous twelve months in rehab following the suicide of his father, Johnny Miller, his mother and his new stepfather move to Palm Springs. Here he meets the enigmatic Greta, increasingly creepy Cliff, mayor's daughter Michelle, and brainy Liza. It soon becomes clear that the former two know more about each other and the death of one of the previous occupants of Johnny's home than they are letting on.
The arrival of Johnny's friend from his rehab days, Nikki, makes Greta completely jealous. Meanwhile, Johnny receives disturbing e-mails from an unidentified sender and learns a shocking fact about Eddie's death. Finally, a benefit at the country club turns into a chaotic spectacle.
Johnny leaves Nikki alone at his house for an hour and she promptly falls off the wagon when some friends show up. Meanwhile, Greta confronts Cliff about harassing Johnny; and Cliff's mom invites her new boyfriend to move in, much to Cliff's dismay.
Greta reveals disturbing information about the night Eddie died; and Johnny learns that Eddie's mother still lives in the area, so he pays her a visit. Meanwhile, Cliff plots to get his mom to dump her gold-digger boyfriend; and Nikki goes on a wild car ride with Cliff.
Liza makes a shocking discovery when she breaks into Cliff's room to find evidence that Eddie was murdered. Meanwhile, Johnny reluctantly plays in a charity golf tournament with Bob; and Greta's dad returns unexpectedly and starts wooing Tess.
Johnny confronts Cliff about Greta's bloody Halloween dress; and Nikki discovers a surprising secret about Cliff. Meanwhile, the Hardys host Tess's birthday party; and Bob gets jealous when Skip flirts with Karen because it reminds him of how he met her.
When Johnny spreads news of Cliff's affair with Mrs. Nolan to Liza and Greta, the group concludes that this may have been the reason behind Eddie's murder. However, Johnny is soon brought back to doubt and distrust when he finds a video of Liza and Eddie kissing. Finally, Cliff struggles to regain Nikki's affections while fending off Mrs. Nolan's advances, and Tess and Skip continue their affair.
In the series finale of "Hidden Palms," Johnny goes to Cliff in hopes of having him retrieve evidence from Eddie's old laptop. However, in order for this to be done he has to befriend Maria once again. Evidence that Liza finds leaves her stunned.
