Capeside High is abuzz with the gossip mill after Jack bares his soul in an English assignment and is forced to explore his innermost secrets while reading a poem he wrote out loud in class, leaving Dawson, Joey and Andie shaken by the implications of what it all means: Jack happens to be gay. Meanwhile, Pacey tries to defend Jack in the face of his adversarial English teacher, Mr. Peterson, and ends up getting in trouble when he assaults the petulant Mr. Peterson which causes a riff between Pacey and Andie. Also, Jen finds Ty Hicks to be full of surprises.

On Dawson's advice, Joey attempts to heal the wounds of her romance with Jack which has been left shattered by rumors and innuendo. Meanwhile, Jack and Andie's father, Joseph McPhee, arrives in town for a get-together which brings out old family tensions which leads Jack confronting his innermost secrets. For the first time in his life, Pacey stands up for what he believes in when he takes on the mean-spirited Mr. Peterson. But the consequences of his convictions are more than Pacey could have imagined when he's suspended from school and Peterson makes his personal agenda to fail Pacey with unethical means. Pacey then sets out to ruin Mr. Peterson by investigating and challenging his authority with a code of conduct book over his teaching methods. Also, Jen thinks that Ty may not be the guy for her when she sees little amusement in his stereotypical comments especially over Jack's true sexual orientation, while Grams is surprisingly understanding and supportive.

After arriving in Boston to visit, Dawson sees great complications in his past relationship with Joey, who decides to drop out of Professor Wilder's writing class. But the line is incredibly long, which takes Joey all day and all the time she had to spend with Dawson, who ends up being guided around the campus by Audrey whom he confides in with his problems. Meanwhile, Jack pushes Jen into talking to Charlie, who works as the campus radio DJ, and after their first date, she ends up sleeping with him. Also, Doug pays Pacey a visit at the Boston docks and tells him about a job he can get for him at a restaurant, called Civilization, in which the chief, Danny Brecher, is a friend of Doug's. Reluctant at first, Pacey eventually gives in and gets the job after his latest girlfriend, Melanie, is forced to pay for their evening out since Pacey has no job or money.