Steve begins an internship at a talent agency and later tries to comfort his discouraged supervisor, Tammy Kane, after she is dismissed from the agency. Donna covers for the new Rose Queen, Lisa, at her convenience-store job in South-Central L.A. and feels sympathy for a ghetto boy she catches shoplifting. Donna forces Joe to drive her over to the boy's house and learns that the boy, Isaiah, and his two siblings are not supervised at home. Meanwhile, Susan learns more about Brandon when his addiction to gambling resurfaces during a casino-night fund raiser at the After Dark. Also, Valerie and Kelly vie with each other to buy a portrait to pose for Colin.

Cindy Walsh comes home to Beverly Hills for Christmas, without Jim. Colin celebrates his holiday blues by sniffing cocaine which begins to put a rift between him and Kelly. Joe plans the perfect gift for Donna on her 21st birthday that same day; a talking parrot. Meanwhile, Steve's so-called "Christmas Curse" continues when someone's error costs him his job at the agency and incurs the wrath of his father Rush who, being the businessman he is, refuses to believe Steve's innocent claims that his job loss is not his fault.