Six months after their parents were killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver, the five Salinger orphans are struggling to make ends meet and keep their family together. They try to search for a replacement for Owen's 65-year-old nanny, Mrs. Kelleher, who suddenly quits. Bailey assumes most of the responsibility for the family. Julia turns her back on the family after a classmate named P.K. shows an interest in her. After her heart is broken, she longs for her mother's advice and comfort. Charlie loses $12,000 of their money in a bad real estate investment. Joe Mangus, their father's partner in Salingers Restaurant, loans Charlie enough money to tide them over on the condition that Charlie work at Salingers as a bartender, a job which Charlie accepts reluctantly. Young Claudia pawns her violin and announces that she'd rather be a regular kid than a child prodigy. Her violin instructor, Ross Werkman, reminds her that she has a rare gift and encourages her to stick with it.
Bailey dreams about Kristen. Claudia tries to find their lost grandfather. Julia is tired of her life and start going to parties and failing school. Charlie dumps his older mistress and flirts with Kristen. Bailey makes up an imaginary friend to get Kristen's attention and she accidentally tells everybody about it. Charlie and Kristen kiss. Claudia finds a man who might be their grandfather, but he isn't. Charlie doesn't go out with Kristen for Bailey.
Bailey witnesses a fight between one of his teammates and some members of an opposing team. When he refuses to name the teammate who was involved in the incident, he is suspended from the football team. Julia holds a party for her ""new friends"", but they quickly abuse her generosity by trashing the house. Kirsten starts dating a lawyer named George. Charlie regrets not making his move on Kirsten. Because he lied about his profession, Kirsten dumps George and isn't interested in Charlie.
Sex seems to be the only thing on everyone's mind, but no one answers Claudia's questions about it. Julia decides that she's ready to go all the way with her friend, Justin, but backs off. Charlie and Kirsten finally make a date, but just as their romance is heating up, she learns that he used one of his weak pick-up lines on her. Bailey likes Kate, the pretty customer he met at the shoe store, but is sadden to learn that she has a boyfriend.
Charlie's ex-girlfriend, Rebecca, visits and turns to him for comfort, due to a failing marriage. They end up sleeping together and now Charlie begins lying to Kirsten and Rebecca. Bailey finds out that Kate's boyfriend, Tom, is too nice and feels bad trying to win Kate over. He eventually succeeds. Julia tries to pass for 18 to get a job waitressing in a club. Claudia pretends to be younger so she can enter a violin competition.
At work, Julia runs into P.K. and he later shows up on her doorstep sporting a black eye and seeking refuge from his abusive stepfather. As the family takes in P.K., they worry that hiding P.K. could get them in trouble with social services. Joe promotes Charlie from bartender to night manager, but Charlie's not interested. Bailey tries to impress Kate's stern father.
Kirsten finds out about Rebecca and breaks up with Charlie. Charlie sees Julia at the club and assumes that she is there partying. Claudia becomes jealous of Bailey's new relationship with Kate and gives Kate the wrong message so that she'd miss a date with Bailey. Owen is rushed to the hospital.
Bailey is shocked when Kate tells him that she plans to stay a virgin until she marries. When Bailey doesn't accept her decision and Kate doesn't change her mind, they break up. Julia teams with a songwriter who wants to put her poetry into music. Claudia is named one of the Bay area's most gifted young musicians and lets her success go to her head.
A friend of the family by the name of Greer Erikson visits the Salingers. Her well-meaning interference causes problems for the Salinger siblings. Greer tries to boost Julia's confidence by sending her to a fashion photographer and spends $800 on the photo session. Greer also tries to get Bailey over his breakup with Kate by fixing him up on a blind date. Bailey soon develops an attraction for Greer instead. Ross comes out of the closet and reveals to Claudia that he is gay. Meanwhile, Charlie searches for a new nanny.
The Salinger siblings finally meet the Walter Alcott, the drunk driver who killed their parents. Walter Alcott wants to see the Salingers in person. They all talk privately with Walter. Bailey wants Walter to suffer like they have. He later leaves and shows up at Kate's house, where they reconcile. Julia assures Walter that she can forgive him.
Mrs. Gideon, the social worker, shows up without telling and finds a complete mess in the house. Julia gets to the house wearing the new bar costume, and Claudia is missing, causing a very bad impression at her. They call the police and report Claudia. When the phone rings in the morning they find Claudia in the kitchen and she blames them for not knowing anything about her life. Charlie has a secret and won't tell, so they think he might be on drugs. Morgan fires all the waitresses, but later he tries to get Julia back, but she won't come back Bailey and Julia play parents on Claudia's date, ruining it. Charlie reveals that he's back to school. Bailey asks Kristen to help them when Mrs. Gideon visits again, and they all act as a perfect happy family to her. Bailey and Charlie agree to help each other. Claudia asks Mrs. Gideon not to split them up. Owen takes his first steps.
Kristen and Charlie sleep together. Later, she is cold to him and tells him that she slept with him because she is sick and scared. Bailey plans a trip with Kate. Her father wants to send her to a boarding school in Connecticut, but Bailey finds out that she is wants to go. They fight and Kate tells him that she will have sex with him, but he refuses to because she doesn't mean that. Julia and Morgan go on a date. Nina tells her to be mysterious, surprising and make him jealous. Claudia overhears their conversation and do all that to get Arnie's attention. Charlie tells Kristen that he loves her and will be there for her. She tells him that she can't have babies.
Bailey meets Jill Holbrook, a pretty waitress who he falls for and ends up sleeping with her. Morgan begins to drink after his club is closed down and he is forced to pay a fine. Julia wants to help, but he doesn't accept her apology or her money to pay the fine. Claudia receives her first period. Kirsten's family wants her to return home to Chicago.
Claudia spends time thinking about converting to Judaism. Julian finds her mother's old journal and finds that her mother planned to have an affair with another man. In the meantime, Kirsten moves into Charlie's room and gets under a fight with Julia.
Charlie tries out how Kirsten's relationship with Ben Atkins is. Julia is surprised to find out that Justin is dating Libby Dwyer, her friend. Claudia's relationship with Artie is in big question when she take over his role in ""Oliver"".
After an earthquake, Claudia and Jill start acting weard, escpecially Jill. Charlie is suspicious about Jill's behaviour and he's convinced that the main problem are drugs. In the meantime, Julia's friendship with Libby is again shaken because Justin.
Jill has a car crash and Bailey thinks she might be on drugs. Julia and Justin tell his mom that they're going out. Justin gets mad at her for spending too much time with his mom, and she tells him how much she misses a mother to talk to. Arnie's parents are breaking up, and Claudia makes a plan to get them back together, but it fails. Charlie tries to be a better father for Owen, and the baby says ""dad"" to Charlie. Bailey goes to Jill's mom for help, but she doesn't care. Jill is missing and her mom goes to Bailey for help, apologizing for her previous rudeness.
Bailey urgently travells to L.A. to find missing Jill. In the meantime, everyone is too occupied with Claudia's 12th birthday. Julia spends some time with Danny, a male who is HIV positive.
After receiving a opportunity to get a great job, which one person can get one in their live, Charlie needs to do some thinking, because if he would go, the whole family would have to move to Seattle. Bailey and Julian get stuck together on a math class.
Bailey gets into big doubts, when Kate, who has returned back, and Jill both want to get back together with him and continue their relationship where it stopped. Charlie becomes troubled when he grounds Claudia and does not gives Bill a raise. In the meantime, Julia wins a award for her writing, but she's not in the bad mood, because she humiliated her siblings.
Bailey interferes in Jill's business when she decides to take over of preparations for a school dance marathon. Julia does not wants to rush into having sex with Justin. Charlie realizes that he needs his family now more than ever, so he's in doubts about leaving the house.
After Jill dies because of overdosing, Bailey refuses to believe that she's dead. In the meantime, Griffin Holbrook; Jill's brother; comes in and does not wants to have any business with Julia, so he trie to avoid her. Finally, Charlie and Kirsten get engaged.
The arrival of Charlie's old girlfriend, Pamela Rush, interrupts Kirsten and Charlie's wedding plans. She claims that Charlie fathered her four-year-old son, Spencer. After realizing that he wants to take responsibility for Spencer, Pamela takes Charlie's money and runs. Will plays matchmaker for Bailey, who is still grieving over the death of Jill. Justin returns from Europe and Julia learns that he wasn't alone. But she has yet to tell him that she spent her summer getting to know Jill's brother, Griffin.
Claudia feels out of place in junior high school. Will, along with Bailey, checks out an Eastern college. Julia and Justin take action to a new rule that prohibits kissing in school and they organize a protest to convince Principal Stickley to change the rules. Charlie tracks down Pamela. It turns out that Spencer isn't Charlie's son at all and she was desperate for money. Kirsten wonders if he'll be happy with her, knowing that she can never have children. To reassure her, they decide to adopt Owen.
After being irritated by the family's interference in her wedding plans, Kirsten and Charlie decide to run off to Reno and elope. Charlie's friend, Dudley, continues to plan their engagement party, despite the happy couple's disappearance. Bailey decides to run for class vice president. Sarah volunteers to be his campaign manager. But when Sarah ends up doing all the work and Bailey pays less attention, she tells Bailey how she really feels about him. Julia lies to Justin in order to spend time with Griffin.
Joe suffers a heart attack and Charlie takes over management of Salingers. Julia assumes Griffin will want to have sex with her, but when he asks to sleep with her, it turns out he literally wanted to sleep. Bailey injures a teammate during football practice.
Claudia breaks her arm while ice-skating with everybody, and Ross worries about her future as a violinist. Julia gets Griffin a job at Salinger's. He skips the first day and Charlie fires him in the second. Bailey and Sarah's relationship starts to get serious, and she tells him that she's not Jill, and things are different with her. A fortuneteller tells Kristen that she won't marry Charlie. She convinces him to take dancing classes for their wedding, and they fight. Julia tells him how important dancing is for a woman at her wedding. Charlie tells Kristen that everything will be fine. Julia sees Justin with another girl and he is mean to her. She is mad with Griffin for not being romantic, so he buys her a helmet for his bike.
Kristen's parents arrive suddenly to spend some time with them. They're staying in the house, and they drive Kristen crazy. Charlie tells her that she is like her mother, and she says she's not. Ellie tells Charlie that he's just like Gene, a dreamer, but he says he knows exactly where he is. Claudia doesn't like Griffin, so he tries to win her heart. Julia gets jealous and Griffin tells her that he misses a little sister, while Claudia develops a crush on him. Bailey gets 900 points at his SATs and his teacher offers him private lessons, flirting. He takes it again and make the same points. Charlie tells him how it was when their parents were still alive, so Bailey decides to apply for college, writing about his mom in his essay.
A fire destroys the restaurant. The insurance company refuses to give Charlie the money because they think he did it. Kristen helps him and they get the money. Will asks Bailey if he can go out with Sarah, and he says yes, but later regrets and realizes he still likes her. Griffin steals money from one of the restaurant's employees, and he goes to jail. Julia asks his father to help him. Griffin is released and has to go away for 6 months. Claudia meets a new friend who is a troublemaker, and the girl convinces her to smoke.
Kristen prohibits Dudley to give Charlie a bachelor's party, so he asks Bailey if he would do it. Charlie runs into a desperate woman in the hallway of the hotel. Her husband is cheating on her. They go to the bar and have some drinks, and she asks him to sleep with her. They go up to her room and Bailey sees them. Charlie tells her that he's in love with Kristen and he won't sleep with her. Bailey is mad at him, but when he finds out what happened, he says their parents would be proud of him. Justin is mean to Julia, and they run into each other at a concert. They see Justin's father with another woman. He asks her what to do, and she asks him to forget about Griffin. Claudia's plans to make a special night for Kristen fail. Charlie is not sure about the wedding and flips a coin for it.
It's the wedding day. Charlie is not sure and asks Kristen to wait 6 more months, but she doesn't understand. He feels pressured and can't handle it. Everybody is worried about what's happening. Ellie tells Kristen to pressure Charlie, and so she tells him that is now or never. He leaves the house. Just as she is announcing to everybody that the wedding is off, he shows up. He decided to get married in order not to lose her forever. He is waiting for her in the altar, but she never shows up. He goes talk to her and she tells him that they shouldn't get married like this, afraid of what might happen in the future. She gives him the wedding ring back and leaves. Bailey tells Will that he might love Sarah and she feels the same way, so Will decides to step out of the picture letting them stay together. Julia and Justin get drunk and have sex.
Charlie decides to take Claudia with him to Mexico. Charlie meets a woman at the hotel lobby and Claudia gets mad at him, saying that he never loved Kristen in the first place. She meets a boy and they kiss. Julia and Justin can't stop having sex, and she gets confused when he is cold to her. Justin tells Julia that he doesn't want to go through the same thing again. Bailey joins Sarah at her grandma's party. While reading grandma's old letters to her, she finds out that she's adopted. She is very confused about herself and goes to Bailey for comfort. Charlie tells Claudia that he misses Kristen and they run into her in the house when they get back.
A teacher is hitting on Julia and she feels uncomfortable. He asks her if he can give her a ride home and tries to kiss her. She is upset and talks to Justin. He threats him, and Mr. Peck tells the Principal that Julia is the one harassing him. She gets scared and tries to change classes, but Charlie convinces her to confront him. Sarah gets a credit card and starts to spend a lot of money just to get back at her parents for lying to her. It's her birthday and Bailey takes her to have dinner and they fight. He tells her that her parents love her, no matter what. Claudia is hanging out with Jody and they steal a bottle of rum from the bar. They get drunk and Charlie gets mad at her. Charlie is flirting with a waitress at the bar, but when she tells him that she doesn't want anything with him he gets mad. He calls Kristen just to hear her voice again.
Claudia tells Charlie that Kristen called. He goes after her, but she just wanted some help with the taxes. They have dinner and end up sleeping together. Kristen tells him that they're not back together. Julia wants to move to the attic and Bailey says he should be the one moving there. They start a fight. Bailey sabotages Julia's audition for the lead singer of a band sending Sarah, who gets the job. And Julia sabotages Bailey's audition for a job, sending Justin, who also gets the job. The couples have a fight and when Bailey receives a letter that says he was accepted in a university in Massachusetts Julia decides to let him have the attic. Claudia takes off her cast and decides to quit violin. The family discusses her decision and she says she just wants to be normal. She says goodbye to her violin, putting it on the shelf.
After a woman mistakes Sarah for someone else's daughter, she decides to try to find her birth mother. They find her on the list and Bailey calls her behind Sarah's back. He meets her. She's an actress and she tells him that she doesn't want to meet her. Bailey tells Sarah that the woman in the list is not her mother, killing her hopes. Charlie tries to teach Owen how to poop in the potter so he can go to pre-school. Claudia is shocked when she finds out that Kristen is dating a guy. She tries to make Kristen come back to the family, but Kristen tells her that she has to move on. Justin's friend Allison comes from England to visit him. At first, Julia is jealous, but then they really get along. Allison comes on to Julia, who later reveals her secret. Julia advises Allison not to run away from her problems.
Claudia is caught smoking, and her teacher advises Charlie to make a deal with her. The deal is that Claudia won't smoke is Charlie doesn't get involved with her teacher, which he does. Claudia walks on them making out and she starts to smoke. Charlie dumps her, but when she gets back by giving hard tests to Claudia's class, Jody asks her to get them back together. Will has a new girlfriend who is really annoying, and he breaks up with her because Bailey doesn't like her. He regrets and Bailey apologizes in chemistry class. They get back together and Bailey tries to like her for Will. Justin's parents are trying to make them stop having sex, worrying that Julia might get pregnant. Justin's mother is pregnant and Justin worries about his father's affair, so he goes talk to him, and he says that's over.
One of Charlie's clients tries to seduce him. Emily says she thinks it's too soon to sleep with Charlie, so he sleeps with his client. Julia is having problems in her computer class, and asks Miller to be her tutor. After he kisses her by surprise, she backs off. She doesn't want any help from Justin, so they make a deal: an A for a date. Bailey gets a scholarship from a stranger. During dinner, his benefactor asks too much about Bailey's parents. The next day he goes to the cemetery and finds yellow roses by his mother's grave. He figures that the man who is helping him is in fact his grandfather. Bailey asks him to meet the others, but he refuses. Bailey tells him that he doesn't want anything from him. Jake surprises everybody when he introduces himself during family dinner at Salinger's.
Emily finds out about Charlie's affair and they break up. Kathleen tells him that she doesn't want to be just another girl, and wants to take their relationship ahead. Sarah is mad at Bailey because he didn't tell her about his college plans. Robin meets Sarah and tells her that she's leaving in two days. Sarah asks her to stay, and Robin gives Sarah her cat, promising that she'll be back. Claudia is trying to get closer to her grandpa, and she asks him to move into the house. Julia tells her how much their mother hated him for leaving her. Jake tells Julia that he wants to be a part of the family, and so she accepts him, thinking that their mother would have done the same. Jake moves in.
It's Valentine's Day. Bailey has unromantic plans and Sarah doesn't like it. An old friend of hers comes back from Paraguay and Bailey gets jealous. They go to a bar and he reads a poem that Bailey thinks was written for Sarah. Bailey punches him and realizes he was wrong. He tries to be romantic to Sarah to make up for his mistake. Kathleen loans money to Charlie so he can hire a new chef to grow the business. Charlie takes her for a romantic weekend after she is demoted from her job. Griffin comes back and decides not to go back to school. Julia asks Justin to help him, although he doesn't like Griffin. Griffin tells Julia that he's in love with her and takes off. Justin asks Julia to be his fiancée and she tells him that she's late and might be pregnant.
Julia is pregnant. She's not sure if she wants to have an abortion. Charlie finds her pregnancy test in the trash and talks to her. She wonders what will be like to have that baby, and Charlie opens her eyes on everything she would be giving up. He confesses to her that when he was in college one of his girlfriends got pregnant and had an abortion. Julia feels awful and so does Justin. They have a fight because he will get over it soon, but she has to carry this fact for the rest of her life. Claudia finds out and gets shocked. Bailey and Sarah plan on sleeping together, but she makes it too special. Bailey asks her to make it simple, but Julia's news scares them. Julia tries to talk with Sarah about her pregnancy, but Sarah says that if her mom decided to have an abortion, she wouldn't be there. Julia has a miscarriage. Claudia apologizes to Julia and Julia tells Charlie that he's a good brother.
Julia doesn't want to go to school, and when she does she feels awful and guilty. She lies to Justin and Charlie and runs away to New Orleans to meet Griffin. She feels safe around him. They spend time together, talking about what happened to her, and he tells her to go back home. Bailey is jealous about Sarah for wearing tight clothes in her shows and for hanging out too much with her band. They fight because she thinks he's controlling her too much. Kathleen wants to be more in Charlie's life. She invites the whole family to go to Hawaii and Charlie gets mad at her because he wants to keep it casual. He tells her that he doesn't love her and she attempts suicide.
Jake is missing and Bailey worries about him never coming back. He comes back and apologizes, but Bailey can't get over it. A woman calls Jake at the house, saying she's his daughter and is getting married. Bailey finds out and stalks Jake. Bailey talks to Lauren and she tells him that her father is always disappearing. Bailey, trying to protect his family, kicks Jake out of the house, which divides the family. Claudia is mad at him for taking away her grandfather. Later Bailey talks to him and asks him not to disappear entirely. Justin and Julia's relationship is getting very complicated. Since her pregnancy, she hasn't been the same and Justin misses her. Kathleen declares on television that she loves Charlie, who makes up a story about getting back with Kristen just to dump her. Kathleen finds out the lie and decides to get back at Charlie, saying that she'll buy the restaurant, which she invested so much.
Bailey is feeling distant from Sarah because she is spending all her free time with the band. She and Matt get robbed at an alley and they end up in the hospital. Bailey freaks and decides to protect her. Matt kisses Sarah and she tells Bailey. They have a fight and she says she has to be more on her own. Julia joins a photography class after Justin turns it down and she meets a boy. They are taking pictures on the street when she spots Justin strolling with another girl. Cori flirts with Justin and Ian kisses Julia. Claudia is getting tired of Jody after she drags Claudia to a party where she is pressured to make out with a boy. Claudia tells Jody she wants things to be the way they were, and not hanging out with boys all the time. Joe is worried because they might lose the restaurant. Charlie gets drunk and arrested and everybody blames him for what's happening. Claudia says she won't forgive him because the restaurant was a piece of their parents. He goes to Kristen asking her to ge
Kathleen is taking the restaurant and Charlie asks Jake to help him. Charlie wants Kristen back. He follows her and send her 7 dozen roses in her wedding day. She tells him that she won't get back to him just because everything else is not working out, but that's not his reason. He tells her to marry Michael if she thinks he's the one. She can't make up her mind. Charlie shows up at her wedding and she runs away with him. Bailey breaks up with Sarah because he doesn't want her to feel sorry for him and because they're having too much problems. Julia and Will try to open his eyes. Jake tells Bailey that he has to decide what to do with his college money: save the restaurant or go to college, so he decides to save the restaurant and stay for Sarah. Julia and Justin have a fight because both of them have somebody else in their lives. They decide to break up, but Julia can't live without Justin, and so he tells her to be strong. Claudia is tired of Jody and her boyfriend, so they split. Sh
Bailey and Will plan a trip to Mexico, and the girls want to go too. The car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and later the car is stolen. Bailey and Will end up having a fight but they realize that 10 years of friendship is not worth a fight. Kristen's mom is spending a few days with them because her marriage is falling apart. She tells Kristen that Gene discovered about an old affair of hers, and Kristen won't forgive her until she forgives Charlie. Julia runs into Griffin, who got back without telling her. He never answered her letters and she gets mad. He tells her that he's in love with her. Claudia returns from summer camp in love with a boy who everybody thinks it's made up, but he comes to visit Claudia and she gets mad at everybody for not believing in her.
Will is leaving for college and his new roommate comes from Seattle so they can go together. He's a freak, but Will has to be nice to him - after all they're spending a year together. Bailey feels threatened by his presence and they have a fight. Bailey finds his car and decides to live in a dorm to meet people and move on with his life. Will leaves. Kristen gets a job far away and they have to deal with the distance. She tells Charlie that if they were married things might have been different. Julia wants Griffin to find a place of his own, but he spends his money buying her a car. She gets fired after he confronts her boss and decides to leave to San Diego to get on with his life. Claudia wants her relationship with Byron to be just like Julia and Griffin's, but Byron is more interested in Julia than in her. Claudia blames Julia for stealing her boyfriend but later realizes that he's the jerk.
Bailey meets a guy at his first day of college. This guy convinces Bailey to take easy classes so he can take good grades and have time to have fun. Bailey faces a very difficult computer test and finds cheating as the only way out. Sarah, Julia and Justin are seniors. They're all competing for a writing competition that gives a college spot. Sarah and Julia are writing about their family dramas and Justin decides to write about Julia's pregnancy, which makes her really furious. But Justin doesn't have to take care of her anymore so he decides to stick to it. After Kristen's boss discovers that she copied her essay from a book, Charlie decides to help her and accidentally finds her anti-depressives prescription. She took it after the wedding. She loses her PhD and her job.
Kristen is getting more and more depressed, and not even a job as Salinger's hostess makes her feel better. Charlie tries to help her as much as he can, but nothing seems to work. He wants her to get better fast and medication can take 6 weeks. Cooper lets Bailey crash in his place. Julia starts to date him and things get awkward between the three of them. Bailey asks Julia not to date his friend, but she decides to date him anyway. Later she realizes how much they don't have in common. Bailey is looking for a new place and finds one cheap with a good roommate, Callie, who Sarah really doesn't like, but Bailey tells her not to worry. Claudia has to find a plumber to fix the pipes and gets yelled at because it costs 3,000 dollars, but she says she's 13 and that was not her job.
Julia moves into the attic now that Bailey is living with Callie. Cooper wants to sleep with Julia, but she's not ready yet, so he threats to break up. She decides to sleep with him but backs off in the last minute, which gets him really pissed. Bailey and Cooper have a fight and he dumps Julia. Callie convinces Bailey to pose as her boyfriend. Turns out his teacher used to date Callie. She tells Bailey that TJ is a psycho and Bailey confronts him, but it was all Callie's imagination. Claudia and Jody are back together. Claudia is sleeping over every night and Jody reveals that her mother's boyfriend is harassing her. Jody is missing and Claudia tells Charlie what's going on, and he tells her mother. Kristen is taking medication, but it doesn't seem to help. Claudia is worried about Kristen and call her parents.
Kristen's parents arrive and Charlie gets furious with Claudia for calling them. Gene keeps blaming Charlie for her condition and threats to sue him. Ellie can't interfere because she doesn't want to ruin her marriage again. They decide to take Kristen back to Chicago, and Charlie tries to stop them, but Kristen is too disturbed to decide anything. Julia and Sarah go to Dartsmouth for their interviews but they can't keep their minds away from home, so Julia realizes it's better to go to a college close to home. Callie is having problems with her father and she and Bailey drink to celebrate their independence. Bailey and Julia decide to go home to comfort Charlie and Claudia can't forgive herself for what happened.
Charlie is angry because Kristen is gone. Grace comes into the restaurant looking for support in her homeless program. She wants the leftovers from Salinger's, but Charlie kicks her out of the place. An old friend of Nick comes looking for a job, and Charlie gives him one because his father used to. Claudia believe that everything bad happening is the house's fault, so she gets an exorcist. Someone opens an account in the name of Nick Salinger, and they think it was the exorcist but actually it was Earl. Bailey tells Callie that the last time he had sex was 2 years ago. She seduces him and they sleep together. Sarah is throwing a Halloween party and Bailey goes so he won't feel so bad for cheating on her. Julia is upset because Justin is dating a new girl and tries to ruin everything, but regrets and get them back together. Bailey has a fight with Sarah and goes to Callie for comfort, but she is with another guy, so Bailey decides to look for comfort in a beer.
Julia meets a Stansford teacher who is also a writer. They become friends and she gets inspired to write. She asks for his opinion and he tells her that she's not good. She is devastated but after she finds out that her mom only chose music after college she realizes that it's too soon to decide what to do for the rest of her life. An old colleague of Diana, Avery Baltus, introduces himself to Claudia and tries to develop in her Diana's talent with the violin. Claudia gets overexcited and Charlie tells her not to hurry, she still has her whole life ahead, but she is stubborn and decides to enter the conservatory. Bailey has the chickenpox and Sarah is taking care of him, but he doesn't want to. They have a fight, but Sarah loves him too much to stay mad at him forever.
Charlie has a slogan contest at Salinger's and the winner wants to bring homeless people to have dinner at the restaurant. Charlie has to kick them out so his clients won't leave and Grace prints in the paper what he did, giving him a hard time. They have a discussion and after Grace admits being wrong about him they come up with a solution. Sarah is worried because Bailey is drinking too much, but he says he's only celebrating. He tries to get in the hockey team but he's not in good shape, so he gets invited to the wrestling team, which is the worse in school. He doesn't support Sarah's new job and they have a fight. She says he's changed. Julia is having problems with the roofers. Alec offers her pot, and she turns it down. She talks with his brother and he fires him. They flirt. Claudia tries to get back at Charlie for not letting her go to the conservatory.
Bailey saves Callie from being raped. She is scared of going out of the house and Sarah tries to be her friend and wonders why she doesn't have many female friends. Charlie is helping Grace. He worries about her safety because she lives in a dangerous neighborhood. She tries to kiss him, but he tells her that he has someone - Kristen. After Sam gets fired for not covering the roof, Julia rehires him from her own money. He discovers her lie and she kisses him. Claudia is offered a column in the school paper about heart stuff and she soon realizes that something's up with Bailey. Callie tells him that she wants someone like him.
Joe is getting married, which reminds Charlie of his own wedding. If he and Kristen got married, they would be celebrating their first anniversary. Charlie asks Grace to the wedding, but she gets confused when he makes a speech that is definitely about Kristen. She tells him to make decisions about his life. Sarah wants to fix Callie with her cousin, but Callie turns it into a double date right away. She feels like Bailey and her are getting apart, and she decides to sleep with him, but Bailey can't do it. They promise to give it another try, but Bailey sleeps with Callie again. Sam doesn't want anything with Julia and Claudia says she's pathetic, but Julia insists and Sam decides to go back to the house.
Charlie decides to go to Chicago to see Kristen and leaves Julia in charge. Kristen is very happy to see him, although Ellie is not. She tells him that she wants to run away to San Francisco, but half way there she realizes she's not ready to go back and they return to Chicago. She says he's her problem. Charlie leaves her there. Julia is more concerned about her personal life than her brother and sister. Claudia claims to be sick, but Julia won't believe her until she gets a call from the hospital saying Claudia had appendicitis and had a surgery. She won't forgive Julia until she overhears how sorry she is. Bailey lies to Sarah in order not to sleep with her. He skips practice and Sarah finds a drunk Bailey passed out at his place. He tells her he slept with Callie, but they don't break up. Callie is tired of being used by Bailey.
It's Christmas. Jake comes back. Charlie decides to get rid of all Kristen's stuff left so he can finally move on with his life. He tries to help a homeless man at the restaurant. Sarah and Callie are away for the holidays and Bailey wants to spend it all by himself, but Coach doesn't let him. Julia notices that Jake can't see very well and he tells her he's going blind. Charlie sees him leaving and Jake says he has to go for his chemotherapy appointment. Julia asks Bailey to spend Christmas in the house and he brings Coach with him since his daughter is not coming anymore. Stuart gives Claudia a very expensive gift and she tries to give him a bad gift, but he loves it. She tells him that she doesn't like him in that way, and he gets mad, but apologizes and stay over for Christmas dinner. Grace shows up and Charlie invites her to stay, and they all celebrate Christmas.
Libby, Julia's old friend, killed herself. Justin and Julia feel like if they paid more attention to her she would be alive. Her death makes everybody wonder what they are doing with their lives. Sarah realizes that life's too short to spend it with a ruined relationship so she decides to break up with Bailey. Meanwhile, Charlie is having some friends over for his high school reunion. He misses the good old days, but the truth comes up and he realizes his life wasn't as good as he remembered.
Bailey is very excited with wrestling and wants to tryout for All Stars. Although Coach Petrocelli doesn't think he is able, Bailey gets obsessed to win. He wants someone to be there for him, but Callie is mad at him and wants him to move out, and everybody else is busy, but Claudia, who misses him at home. Bailey celebrates every victory with a few drinks, and every time he gets more and more drunk. Julia finds out that Sam was engaged and she joins him in his dinner with his ex-fiancée. She is getting married and he realizes he still loves her. Charlie gets an award for helping the homeless and realizes how much he likes Grace when another man asks her out.
Bailey is not doing so well in school. Callie throws a big party at their place and the landlord threats to kick them out. He is trying to stay sober, but it's hard. Unable to keep up with school, he decides to quit. Charlie doesn't want to rush things with Grace, but the more they try to slow it down, the more they want to be together, so they sleep together. Julia is accepted in Stansford, but is not sure she wants to go. She wants a time off studies, and to find herself. Charlie thinks it's all Sam's fault. Ross is dating one of Claudia's teachers, and she outs him to the entire school. She tries to fix it, but Ross tells her it's not that easy.
Will surprises Bailey showing up at his place. Will thinks Bailey drinks too much, and asks Sarah what's going on, but she doesn't want to talk about Bailey. He tries to advice Bailey about his drinking, but Bailey says it's no big deal. Callie asks him to move into her room. Grace's place burned down, so she moves into the house. Charlie doesn't want Julia to turn down Stansford. Julia, angry with Charlie, moves to Sam's so she won't have to listen to him. Charlie doesn't want her there, and they have a big fight. Sam tells Julia she should go back to the house. Claudia tries to get Bailey to help, but he ignores her.
Bailey is spending so much money on drinking that he can't even afford rent. Julia wants to get Bailey and Sarah back together, but she's still very mad at him. She warns Julia about Bailey's drinking problem, but Julia doesn't believe it. Julia gets Bailey a job with Sam. Bailey steals expensive liquor from the house he was working. Julia wonders if what Sarah told her is true. They try to talk to Bailey about it, but he won't listen. Taking advantage from Julia and Charlie's fight, Bailey gets Charlie to support him. Julia and Claudia don't like Grace. Charlie tells Claudia she should try to be Grace's friend, and so Claudia offers to volunteer at her program, but that doesn't last long. Grace can't stand the kids. Charlie wonders if Grace really wants to be there.
Grace's parents are spending time with them, and Grace doesn't like it, but Charlie does. Claudia is spending time with Avery, which makes his son jealous of her. Bailey spends all his money in drinking and can't afford a clown for Owen's birthday party, so he dresses as a clown. He gets to the party drunk and ruins it. Martin tells Charlie that Bailey might have a drinking problem, but Charlie refuses to accept that idea, even though everybody else thinks so too. Julia breaks up with Sam because he's a racist.
The Salinger family tries to solve Bailey's drinking problem. Claudia calls him and tells a story about Owen falling down the stairs. Bailey rushes to the house, when Charlie, Julia, Claudia, Grace and Sarah hold him. One by one, they all try to show Bailey that he has a drinking problem. He refuses to accept it and fights with everybody. Joe arrives and tells Bailey that his father had a drinking problem too, but he stayed sober 18 year until he died. Bailey doesn't believe it, but Charlie does and proves to be true. They all try to get Bailey into an AA program, but he refuses. When everybody had already given up, Claudia tells Bailey that if he doesn't face his problem and look for help, than he will no longer be a part of the family. Bailey leaves.
Bailey is alone. The Salingers strategy to not speak to him doesn't seem to be working. Bailey keeps drinking and drinking, and he misses his game. Coach Petrocelli gets really disappointed at him. Bailey can't stay sober. He tries to have sex with Callie, but she tells him that he really has a problem. Claudia goes to Avery searching for answers for questions about her father. She blames Bailey problem on her father, but Charlie tells her that he got over his drinking problem, and became a wonderful father, as she knew him. Griffin comes back and Julia spends the night with him. Bailey picks Owen at the daycare and disappears with him. When he gets to the house, Charlie kicks him out, and Sarah goes after him. She tries to talk to him, but he doesn't want to. They get on the car, and Bailey crashes it, hurting Sarah. At the hospital, Bailey cries and asks Sarah for help.
Bailey starts to go to AA meetings, and on his first meeting he bumps into Walter Alcott, the man that killed his parents. Bailey has second thoughts about going to the meetings, and he quits. Griffin gets US$100.000 from his lawsuit settlement, and decides to help his father, and he becomes friendly with Griffin just for the money. Grace decides to run for council and makes the Salinger's house her campaign headquarters.
Bailey is sober for a week. Callie gets jealous because Bailey is spending much more time with Sarah than with her, so she tries to help Bailey, but she can't. She goes to Sarah and tries to find out why Sarah is helping Bailey so much. Sarah tells her that she doesn't love Bailey, because she has a new boyfriend. Callie gets drunk and Bailey moves back to the house. Julia starts skipping school in order to hang out with Griffin, and she starts to get F in history, but he tells her to go back to school, and she goes. Claudia is convinced that Grace doesn't care> about her and Owen, so she makes up a story about a reporter just to spend some time with Grace. But she is more concerned about the reporter.
Claudia is invited to play in L.A., and nobody can take her there, but Bailey. They go and Claudia kicks him out of the rehearsals because he is distracting her. In the hotel room, Bailey has nothing to do, and he really wants to drink. He calls Sarah, but she isn't at home, he calls Charlie, but he isn't at the restaurant. So he can't resist and drink, and forget to pick up Claudia. Joe shows up and find a drunk Bailey. He and his wife pick up Claudia, who is very disappointed at Bailey. In the way back, they pass by an AA meeting, and Claudia tells Bailey to go and he does. Grace is really sick, and she may be pregnant. But when the results arrive, and she isn't, Charlie is sad, and when they talk, Grace tells him that she doesn't want to have babies. Julia decides to travel with Griffin all the way to Nevada, but the motorcycle breaks and they have to get back to San Francisco to get it fixed. Griffin decides to buy the repair shop.
Sarah dumped her boyfriend. Her mom tells Bailey that she got into Brown, and Bailey gets mad at her because she is moving away, but she is going to Berkeley instead. They kiss, but Sarah tells Bailey that she just wants to be friends with him. Charlie and Grace break up because she doesn't like children, and she wins the election. Justin is going to Europe for 2 months and ask Julia to go with him. But she doesn't and gets married to Griffin. Charlie, Bailey and Claudia give Julia their mom's ring, and she moves out.
Julia has trouble adjusting to life as a married woman. Claudia wants to be popular in high school. Sarah's father files drunk driving charges against Bailey when he refuses to stop seeing Sarah.
Griffin is annoyed when his boring friend comes to a visit. Claudia gets busted while snooping inside Reed Isley's locker. Meanwhile, Charlie is bothered by the rumors about child abuse, so he decides to not let Owen go to pre-school.
Griffin holds back the truth about his financial problems to Julia. Bailey and Sarah decide to move in together, believing they will resolve their problems that way. All Charlie's dates turn out to be a disaster.
Julia's co-worker Daniel misreads her intentions and kisses her. He tells her she does not seems like a married woman. Meanwhile, Owen finds Charlie the perfect woman called Nina. Bailey and Sarah are plotting something against the woman in near apartment – until Bailey realizes that she it at the AA meeting.
Charlie and Nina's relationship gets slowed down when they realize they have different looks at the world. Bailey and Annie start bonding and talking about their addictions. Griffin realizes that something in wrong with Julia.
Following Julia's advice, Griffin tries to bond with her brother Charlie, who confesses to Nina that he loves her. Bailey and Annie quit their short relationship. Charlie faces Kirsten.
Griffin still keeps the truth about his finance problems away from Julia and decides to borrow a lot of money from a business associate. Charlie collapses on the racquetball court and later tells everything to Kirsten. Sarah is convinced that now is the right time for her to lose her virginity, but her plan fails. Due to her decidion, Bailey ends up in bed with Annie.
Julia finally finds out about Griffin's financial problems before they renew their wedding vows. Nina can't face the fact that Charlie is sick. Bailey brings Annie and natalie to the wedding, but his decidion to bring Natalie causes a big disaster.
Now when she knows the truth about their financial problem Julia starts working on resolving the problem with Griffin. Meanwhile, Charlie's relatives struggle to deal with the fact that Charlie is sick.
Sarah convinces Julia that she needs to find a real job for herself. Charlie won't accept the help that his family is offering him. Bailey misunderstands Charlie's frustrations towards Annie. Claudia is furious to find out that Julia and Griffin fired Reed to get out of their financial problems.
Sarah and Bailey host a Christmas party, while Charlie decides to go on a long distances trip with Kirsten. Will realizes that he and Bailey are living in totally different worlds. Julia pains a nice picture inspired by Justin.
Bailey realizes he needs to fire Julia from his restaurant, because she is a terrible waitress. Charlie asks for help at home and the restaurant after he realizes he is unable to function. Claudia realizes that Reed does not has the same feeling to her like she does to him.
Tired of hiding their relationship to Natalie, Bailey and Annie decide to tell her the truth, who does not takes it too well. Reed finally tells Claudia the hard truth to convince her that he is not her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Julia and Griffin's relationship worsenes. Prompted by an unexpecting persistent rash Charlie decides to try out a medicine.
Charlie puts on a new behaviour, prompted by his fellow friend who is also a patient. Julia spends time with Jeanie, a woman she works with and they talk about their troubled marriages. Bailey wants to bond with Annie's daughter. Julia is surprised when she finds out Jeanie left her husband.
Charlie finds out his friend Kevin is in complete remission and is convinced that his recovery made his chances to recover smaller. Julian and Griffin finally realize they are investing money in failed business. Sarah is convinced that she'll dies as a virgin when Elliot comes out of the closet.
Griffin is selling the shop and the only one interested in buying it is his business opponent. He has no choice and sells it. He and Julia are now debt free. The new owner offers him a job at the store, which he refuses to take until Julia convinces him to. Charlie has pneumonia and is back to the hospital. He gets better, but is too depressed to feel good. Everybody worries about him. He decides to make a will just in case. Bailey decides to drop out of college so he can deal with everything. Paul tells Kristen she's still in love with Charlie. Claudia is skipping school.
Charlie asks Kristen if he can leave Claudia and Owen for her if he dies. She wants to, but Paul doesn't like children so much. Claudia has been missing school for several weeks and the school calls for a meeting. Bailey and Julia are so busy that they don't show up. Social Services are called and they get Claudia and Owen. They say they were neglected and Julia and Bailey do the best they can to get them back. Julia and Griffin offer to take care of them. Everybody is mad at Claudia, who is feeling very lonely. Meanwhile, Rosalie is flirting with Griffin, and kisses him.
Claudia gets help from a psychologist. Griffin discovers that he cannot fight with his growing attraction to Rosalie anymore. Julia rediscovers the academic world in a college literature class.
Julia, Bailey and Charlie leave to their family cabin up in the Sierras to relax for some time. Claudia is convinced that noone really cares about her anymore and sends off some college applications. Julia talks to Griffin about Rosalie. Bailey finds out Annie was forced to go into a rehab clinic.
Charlie decides to throw up a party due to his remission, but everyone has something else to do on the date he wants to throw the party. He meets Daphne, a stripper, who makes him realize his life should change now when he is out of danger.
Sarah and Bailey spend time taking care of Annie's daughter and Sarah realizes she still has feelings for him. Julia and Griffin go to a marriage counselor and Julia announces she wants to go to college. Joe decides to sell the restaurant, so the family buys it, because Bailey is ready to manage it.
Julia expects help from Justin to solve her marriage, but it all turns out differently. Sarah wants to make peace between Annie and Bailey, so she finally decides to get them together to resolves their problems. Charlie stars in Daphne's musical.
Griffin wins a free trip to Los Angeles when he turns out to be the thousandth customer at the supermartket. He and Julia gets closer and ther relationship seems to filled with love again. Meanwhile, Charlie is bothered by Daphne's stripping and that makes some troubles in their relationship. The real shock comes when she admits being pregnant. Claudia is finally happy when Jamie asks her to go to his prom.
Sarah confesses to Bailey that she still loves him. They get back together and finish in bed together. Julia gets accepted at Stanford, making Griffin feel like he is holding her back from her college life. Charlie tells Daphne he will take full responsibility as the father of her baby if he has to. Claudia and Jamie end up dancing in the playing field by themselves.
Julia packs her bags and leaves to Stanford, while Bailey has to take off Claudia away to Massachusetts to boarding school. Meanwhile, Charlie drives Daphne crazy with his over-protectiveness. Sarah and Bailey go to check out the new loft apartment. Daphne leaves.
Sarah receives terrible news: her parents have separated. Claudia feels like a nerd in school, but as time passes she realizes that being smart is not a bad thing after all. Charlie goes to a lawyer to ask about securing custody of Daphne's unborn baby and learns he must first get a job. Julia realizes she has feelings for Josh.
Julia and Griffin both lie to each other about romantic relationships. Charlie is happy to find out the gender of his baby, but Daphne doesn't want to know. Sarah is shocked to find out that her biological mother died in a plane crash. Claudia tries to lead a normal life at school despite her new friends' desire to rebel.
In this special episode of Party of Five, the show creators, Amy Lippman and Christopher Keyser talk about how they cast the Salinger family and started the show. The stars have to answer a trivia quiz about their characters and talk about their favorite moments. They also talk about how hard was shooting with babies and a dog; the cancellation ghost that surrounded the show during its 1st season; beating strong shows such as ER, NYPD Blue and Chicago Hope in the 1996 Golden Globe Awards; and how Jennifer Love Hewitt got a permanent character instead of her original 9 episodes role; and their gratitude to the fans, who kept the show going and gave ratings good enough for more seasons.
Charlie and Daphne make peace with each other and Daphne confides that she is scared. Julia tries to stay away from Ned after their recent kiss, but she ends up in his arms. Maggie suspects that something is happening to Will when he begins to act strangely.
Daphne collapses and is taken to the hospital. She and Charlie are forced to decide between a premature birth or dying from liver failure. Maggie catches Ned and Julie together. Griffin meets Ned at the hospital. Sarah and Bailey kick Will out of of their home and instead put up his pregnant friend Hannah. Sarah is shocked when Bailey gives Hannah money for an abortion.
Owen is not too satisfied when all the attention goes to Daphne and Charlie's baby Diana. Daphne is worried about how will she do with the baby and she suspects that everything will go wrong. Claudia comforts Owen. Bailey moves out of Sarah's apartment when he feels that the strong line of love between them broke. Julie is worried about the consequences of her relationship with Ned. However, they make love.
A Thanksgiving Day at the Salingers' is nothing but peaceful. Owen runs away from Charlie in the mall and the family must look for him. Julia invites Ned to the house for the Thanksgiving Day. Claudia tries to reach to her family, but Daphne keeps on dodging her phone calls until Claudia starts to be worried. Bailey and Sarah talk about their relationship.
Charlie has some hard time trying to be there for both Owen and Diana and has some sleep. Bailey fights with the opening of a new restaurant. Julia finds out just how bad Ned's relationship with his parents is. Meanwhile, Claudia wants to go home immediately.
After finding out more about Ned's relationship with his parents and his brother, Julia wants to get closer to Ned's brother. Griffin goes to Boston on a job task and finds Claudia there. Charlie realizes that Daphne isn't really bonding with their daughter.
Ned does his best to keep Julia by himself during the holidays. Daphne's mother visits and Daphne realizes just how much she is like her mother - and that's why she has hard time taking care of her baby. Owen has a little fun of his own - stealing - and Bailey is there to teach him against it. Claudia wants to have just a normal Christmas with her family.
When Charlie can't take care of him, Bailey takes Owen on a camping trip and it turns out to be a total disaster. Kirsten and Paul talk about adopting a baby after Kirsten accepts to be a volunteer in a hospital. Daphne is still having hard time trying to take care of Diana. She goes to church after 15 years of absence and it makes her think about her life. Ned finds out that Maggie has a boyfriend. He convinces Julia to move into his room, but Maggie changes her mind. When Ned realizes it, he hits Julia.
Julia is still shocked by Ned's behavior and she won't talk to anyone about it. Griffin tries to get Claudia to join his band and play the violin, but he forgets about his other band members. Charlie has some hard time trying to cope with the fact that Daphne left. Bailey and Sarah go to a restaurant, where a robber attacks them and steals some money & Sarah's necklace. Sarah is afraid that the robber will return, so she's in constant danger. Julia decides to talk to Ned.
Griffin realizes that something bad happened between Julia and Ned. He tries to help, but it leads to nowhere. Charlie becomes a woman-magnet now that he is a single-father and doesn't know about it. Claudia tries to put the member of the band back together, so she tries to become friends with Cody. Kirsten feels that she's ready to adopt a baby, but Paul is reckless. Sarah tries to become friends with Albert, the guy that mugged her.
Griffin still feels that something is wrong in Julia and Ned's relationship, so she wants Justin to help Julia before it's too late. Charlie decides to find Daphne after reading her file. Kirsten and Paul decide to get separated. Ned convinces Justin that there's nothing wrong in his and Julia's relationship. Sarah trusts Albert and brings him to her apartment, but when she's absent, Albert steals Sarah's keys and Bailey's gun, which leads to a total disaster in the building. Cody and Claudia get closer.
Now even more determined to find Daphne, Charlie leaves for Los Angeles. Julia convinces everyone that everything is alright in her relationship with Ned and it leads Griffin to madness. He refuses to sign the divorce papers and ends up beating Ned up. Ned is rushed to the hospital, while Griffin has to go in jail. Bailey has to choose between his family life with Owen and a new amazing business offer. Cody steals a gift for Valentine's day and gives it Claudia who knows about it.
Now that he turned down the business offer, Bailey gets closer to Owen and is surprised to find out that he may have a learning disability. Charlie convinces Daphne to return to San Francisco, but she backs out at the last moment, thinking she is not ready. Charlie kicks Griffin out of the apartment. Julia tries to make Ned get some help, but it backfires heavily. Kirsten moves to Chicago with her parents.
Maggie confesses to the Salingers that Ned hit Julia and they all try to get Julia to break up with him, but she refuses. Charlie and Bailey fight over Owen's custody. Meanwhile, Sarah finds out that her mother is getting remarried. Claudia announces that she will be going to Stanford.
The battle for Owen's custody between Charlie and Bailey continues and it drives everyone else crazy. Meanwhile, Owen's learning disability grows. Maggie and Julia leave to go to the museum. Griffin kidnaps Julia, while Ned searches for her. Maggie confesses to him that she's not with her. Julia finally leaves Ned.
The fight between Charlie and Bailey for the custody of Owen continues. They go to a judge. After leaving him, Ned starts to haunt Julia around. The whole family goes to court so the fight would finally be over.
Claudia is celebrating her 16th birthday and her only wish is that the whole family is together. Julia and Griffin are trapped in an elevator in a blackout. They reunite. Paul talks to Charlie about Kirsten and tells him that she belongs to him. Sarah talks to Claudia about men. Claudia's wish comes true.
Julia and Griffin are finally back together. Julia drives Claudia home from school and tells her the happy news. Bailey realizes that Owen is losing his heritage by living away from the Salinger house. Claudia realizes that she is in love with Griffin. She talks to Charlie about Kirsten and his plans. Kirsten tells him that she has been accepted on a overseas-program and she may be away for a long time.
Charlie and Kirsten's relationship grows as he moves into her apartment. Sarah and Bailey move back to the Salinger house. Julia gets closer to her professor. Bailey tries to stay faithful to Sarah when he's around Lauren all the time. Claudia and Cody go on a concert and find out more about each other.
Claudia tries to slow down her new relationship with Cody. She's too afraid about moving way-too-fast. Julia moves closer to her writing professor and ends up kissing her, but she is the one that does not want to be played. Sarah and Bailey move even more away from each other. Charlie tries to talk to Kirsten, but learns that the easy way is not the way he has to go with Kirsten.
Julia spends all her time dating new guys and she realizes just how much she needs some time alone with herself. Daphne finally shows up in San Francisco. Kirsten feels threatened by her, while Charlie tries to explain Daphne that he's with Kirsten now. Sarah has some hard time trying to figure out just what is she doing with her life. Daphne tells Charlie that she's back in San Francisco so she could get Diana back. Bailey decides to solve the situation with Sarah by buying an engagement ring.
Bailey proposes to Sarah and she says yes, but changes her mind later, thinking that she is way too young to go into something this deep. Meanwhile, Charlie proposes to Kirsten and later she accepts. Daphne has some hard time trying to fit into their new situation. Claudia tries to get closer to Cody and she's ready to drink with his friends in order to get him. Justin wants to help Julia with her finals, but she seems to be doing just fine on her own.
Bailey tries to plan a perfect wedding for Charlie and Kirsten. But when his plans fail, he tells Charlie to plan his own wedding. Kirsten's parents come to town, but aren't supportive of her the engagement because of Charlie and Kirsten's previously failed marriage in the past. Claudia breaks up with Cody after she catches him cheating on her. Sarah confronts Bailey about his anger towards her. After an editor offers Julia a book deal, she quits college and moves home.
Charlie and Kirsten have a terrible honeymoon, but when they start to experiment sexually, they end up having a great time. Cody keeps pursuing Claudia, who turns him away. Bailey and Sarah are having communication problems, but are solving them by having sex. Joe tells Bailey about his separation from Frannie. Julia has writers' block.
Daphne hires Victor as a nanny for Diana, and gets help job-hunting from Kirsten. Charlie counsels a troubled teen at work. Julia investigates her parents' relationship, which upsets Bailey. Claudia figures out that Cameron is attacking his friends on a web page. Sarah thinks she's found her father in New York and plans to meet him, meaning that she will have to leave Bailey.
Victor turns the house into a haunted one for Owen on Halloween. Julia realizes that she has feelings for Evan. Charlie and Kirsten explore having their own baby. Bailey finds out that Will is back in San Francisco and is chauffeuring wrestlers.
Kirsten and Charlie are having difficulty with the regimen associated with trying to get pregnant. His effort to pay for vitro fertilization, leads to him getting a second job and he doesn't have time to tutor Myra anymore. Claudia helps tutor Myra and receives some helpful advice from her about her situation with Cameron and Alexa. Bailey decides to pay Sarah a visit in New York with Griffin and Will, but doesn't get very far. Evan and Julia finally sleep together. Daphne lies to Charlie about finding a new job.
Bailey goes to a bar and almost drinks, but meets a woman named Tracy, who turns out to be married. Griffin sees Daphne working at a strip club. Bailey invites Will to move in. Myra keeps turning to Charlie for help, but when he reports her principal, Myra's mother claims that he was involved with her sexually. Julia wants to make her and Evan's relationship public, but he becomes very hesitant. Claudia finds out that Cameron got back together with Alexa. So she tries her luck with a football player. But when he gets her alone, he won't take no for an answer.
Charlie convinces Myra's mother to drop charges against him. Claudia decides to not report Derek's attack in order to deal with it. Daphne and Griffin get drunk and end up together. Kirsten is pregnant. Bailey continues seeing Tracy, while Julia gets closer to Evan and his son Brian.
Julia decides to break up with Evan after she discovers his emotional-unavailability. Claudia gets drunk when noone reacts on Derek's problems. Charlie considers leaving his job and working at the factory. Bailey spends time dating a lot of girls and gets interested in Holly. Daphne and Griffin survive a terrible motorcycle accident and the Salingers are ready to pay for his expensive hand surgery.
Bailey continues dating Holly, a very interesting girl. They spend the night together and end up under the sheets. Griffin fells that he has a debt to the Salingers, now that they payed for his expensive hand surgery. Claudia tries to return to playing her violin, but gets upset when she finds out she's no longer the best. Charlie and Kirsten try to buy illegal hormones, but end up realizing they should get pregnant naturally.
Bailey goes to a wedding with Holly and all her relatives think they're married. Julia's new editor hasn't answered her about her book, so she tries to find her and not just sit and wait. When she finds her, she tells Julia that another book with the same story of hers has been published, so her book won't be published anymore. Thurber, the family dog, is sick. Claudia takes him to the veterinary. Charlie and Kirsten are in a double date with Daphne. Charlie quits his job after his boss says no to his projects, but when they talk, he gets back. Bailey and Claudia decide to put Thurber to sleep, and the whole family spread his ashes in the park, saying goodbye for the last time to the long-time friend.
A bully tortures Owen at school and Victor is ready to help him. Bailey thinks about how far should his relationship with Holly go. Julia and Claudia leave for a trip to visit some colleges. Luke moves in with Daphne. Kirsten goes on a surgery that could help her become pregnant.
Bailey has a bad day. Both Charlie and Kirsten try to spend time together, but their jobs say different. Julia gets into trouble after she writes an article about a non-enrolled classmate. Claudia meets a boy from the past and learns more about her instinct in boys. A boy in school tells Owen that Victor is a faggot.
Joe tells Bailey that he's been stealing money from the restaurant to pay for his divorce. Bailey covers for him taking money from his account to pay the others, but when Joe tells them, they want to solve the situation. Bailey meets a girl at na AA party, and she asks him to be her sponsor, and he says no because he's been having a beer for the last two weeks. Gus offers Charlie the factory. He talks to Kristen and decides to take it. Joe pressures Bailey to tell the others about his beer. Julia tells Adam she just wants to be friends with him and also says that but later he tells her how he really feels about her and kisses her. Daphne tells Charlie that she's moving to Texas and taking Diana with her.
Charlie wants Diana to stay in San Francisco with him, but Daphne says she wants her in Texas with her. Julia and Justin go on a double date and exclude their dates, which makes Adam question Julia if she is really over him. Bailey and Evvie go to a party. They get drunk and sleep together. Julia tells Justin to think twice before getting married. Bailey finds Evvie passed out from drinking and takes her to the hospital. There he bumps into Holly. Julia tells Justin that she'll miss him. Bailey goes to Holly's and they fight. Charlie lets Daphne take Diana with her, and he and Kristen say goodbye to the baby. The girls find Bailey drunk, and he storms out of the house, crashing his car.
In this special episode, we, the viewers, get to take a look at what the Salingers' lives would have been like if their parents hadn't died. Claudia is a touring violinist, Bailey and Charlie become unsettled with their father and Julia is engaged to Justin until she meets a mechanic named Griffin, which sparks second thoughts.
Bailey refuses to accept that he's ok. He wants to get help even tough he doesn't have drinking problems anymore. He realizes that he's only happy when other people are miserable. He makes up with Holly. Kristen is feeling weird at work and Charlie worries about her, fearing a depression, but the reason she has been an emotional roller coaster is because she's pregnant. Julia gets an email from Justin and decides to go to Vegas and stop him from getting married. Adam confesses his love to her and she decides to let Justin get on with his life, even tough he's not sure Laura is the one. Claudia gets mad at Todd because he doesn't pay attention to her, but he was just afraid of doing something wrong. She kisses him. Joe is tired of Charlie not trusting him anymore, so he decides to leave the restaurant, but Charlie asks him to stay.
When Bailey returns to Holly, her sister Fiona visits her and Bailey spend time with her to find out just what he wants to do with his life. Charlie seeks help from Bailey, because he has too much work. Bailey agrees later. Julia tries to get away from her writer's block by having sex with Adam. Claudia and Todd come closer.
Adam mysteriously leaves San Francisco. Bailey finds out more about life and gets interested in economics. Todd leaves for New York to do a recording session. Meanwhile, a jealous Claudia meets an old boyfriend, now a model. Charlie buys furniture from Gus.
Julia sees Ned in the street, and that brings back memories about her past. Holly's student visa is locked and she has to get a greencard to stay in America. Claudia tries to help Victor with Ross, but he thinks that love should happen by accident. Bailey proposes to Holly. Griffin asks Julia not to see Ned. Daphne comes back for good. Julia goes to Ned's place and they have a fight. Bailey makes too many plans for the wedding and she freaks out. Ned tells Julia what happened to him since they broke up, and Griffin kicks him out of the house. Charlie gets Luke back for Daphne. Holly says she doesn't want to marry Bailey because she loves him. Claudia runs into Victor and Ross on a date. Will proposes to Holly to help Bailey. Julia publishes her book on the Internet and realizes she's not alone.
Will and Holly get married. The immigration inspector is investigating them. Adam comes back from Mexico and asks Julia to move back there with him. She decides to go but then give up. Claudia has a love dream about Todd, and she tries to make it come true, but it doesn't happen the way she wanted. Charlie wants to make some changes in the production and his manager quits. Will tries to learn more about Holly and starts to feel something for her. Kristen has a bleed and Julia takes her to the hospital. Claudia's dream comes true. Charlie and Kristen decide to tell everybody about their pregnancy.
Will keeps avoiding Holly, but Bailey is pushing him to move in with her. A reporter wants to do an article on Julia and her book, but when Justin shows up saying that he broke up with Laura just to get back to her, the reporter gives up. Claudia cheats on schoolwork so she can have more time for Todd, but later she feels guilty and Todd decides to study with her. Daphne misses her old times as a stripper and decides to take Kristen to hang out with her, and Kristen feels tempted to strip. When Charlie comes home, Kristen suggests a warm bubble bath. As she takes off her pants, a dollar bill falls, suggesting that Kristen may have stripped at the club.
A rival company is closing down, so Charlie and Bailey decide to take their clients. Suddenly, Mitch has a heart attack and Charlie decides to slow down the production line. One of the new clients offers Bailey a chance to get back to Business school. Mitch tells Charlie not to give up what they've worked so hard to built. He dies and Charlie thinks that it would be better to keep it a small company, so he can have more time for his family. Charlie asks Bailey to join him in the company. Julia has to decide what to do with her life. She is offered to be a speaker in a women conference, but turns down to get a new job as a columnist in a women magazine, where she has to write about futile things. Justin opens her eyes on what she is missing, and she decides that she should go to the conference. Bailey keeps pressuring Will and they have a fight. Holly decides to annul the wedding and move back to England, and Will decides to move back to college. Claudia is accepted for both Stanford an
Bailey decides to go to Wharton Business School at U Penn in Philadelphia, but has a hard time trying to convince Owen to go with him. Claudia decides that she wants to go to Stanford instead of Julliard so that she is closer to home and Todd. Todd tells her not to give up an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Julia gets a job offer from the National Organization for Women (NOW). Daphne becomes miserable in Texas.
Kirsten and Charlie find out that they are having a baby boy. Claudia and Bailey exchange their good news to each other. Julia wants to surprise the family with her news at the restaurant. At dinner, everyone announces that they all will be leaving San Francisco, but it results into a problem. Charlie convinces his siblings to leave San Francisco. And after six years alone without their parents, the Salingers decide to sell their family house.
