The kids, except for Sam and David, have been away for several months. The parents feel awkward, especially stay-at-home-dad Kevin. He's an amazing all-around help and thinks of starting a house-renovation business with enthusiastic Annie. Lucy is having a hard time after losing their twins and endlessly-patient Kevin always bends over backwards trying to help her, even when she goes too far in public. Martin makes a go at turning his life around to be a father to his son with Sandy, who insists that he should live his own life and let her live hers. Martin calls Sandy a Lucy-clone who still hopes Simon will take her back; meanwhile he's jealous of her date Daniel.

Reverend Eric Camden feels old after the twins' young teacher mistakes him for their grandfather and being unable to keep up physically with wife Annie's sexual appetite. Martin gets in trouble with Sandy when she overhears him in the baby-phone thanking Kevin for the -mis-understood- advice to seduce her by cooking for her. Lucy worries what it means about his sexual appetite now Kevin has stopped cooking elaborate dinners after talking to lonely young teenager movie theater tickets clerk T-bone, who considers her highly desirable. Kevin selflessly worries about all of them.

Now Annie is away for four weeks, Eric wakes up with a stiff neck but already promised the twins to sleep a night in a tent in the garden- not so easy as it sounds, especially when the dog Happy goes missing, actually tagging along with Kevin's canines. Kevin couldn't turn down his brother Ben who wants to came spend time with them, but Lucy isn't ready for any visitors yet, so he stays with Eric, whom he assures he can safely straighten his neck having nurse training- a painful mistake. When the twins' attractive young teacher Margo makes a pass at Eric, the principal laughs away the very thought: the old goat must misinterpret. Lucy changes her mind and decides to get the guest room ready for Ben to stay in 'any time'. Eric's cardiologist has crushing news. Eric publicly rages at Margo's unacceptable immorality and takes his kids away, then insists to pig out with unhealthy food as a fake birthday and even lets Ben give him another neck-crack. Lucy smells a rat.

While Annie is still away, Reverend Eric Camden keeps behaving weirdly, so his nosy daughter Lucy forces her unwilling, privacy-respecting husband Kevin to help her find out what's going on. For once he gets interested himself as it turns out there actually is a lot to uncover, starting with the fact Eric bought the twins hamsters as a consolation because his disgust at their teacher Miss Margo's flirting made Eric take the boys out of school to teach them himself. Kevin even ends up taking his pants off as bribe for homeless Stanley to tell what he knows about the hospital episode.

Lucy tells two girls that they won't get access to the pregnancy-home apartments, neither through her nor Annie, but such cheap rent remains a prize worth fighting for. When Eric's car breaks down, he learns that T-Bone, the movie-ticket seller who has a crush on Lucy, is actually a courageous abandoned kid. When the girls come the Camden house, they recognize T-Bone as "Theodore." Eric lets them stay for one night until Annie returns, even after discovering that they smoke pot, but Annie returns early and leaves it to the pastors to find a solution for the girls. Sandy makes Eric listen over the phone to her boyfriend Daniel, who she now believes to want only loveless sex and housekeeping comfort; as he states upfront intentions, Martin barges in. T-Bone insists that he can't stay or he'll spill the beans as long as Eric hasn't told the family about his heart problems, which he guessed after witnessing Kevin's sacrificed trousers . Eric only tells Annie about his intention to keep home-schooling the twins.

Misery all the way while Eric stubbornly keeps hiding his heart problems for Annie, the only one he wanted to know ever, even after a misunderstanding brings paramedics rushing, but ends up telling the truth to Kevin who manages to make him take his long-delayed cardiology check up. T-bone proves a second Robby, as helpful as an angel and a butler, yet incredulous Annie can find him a home, at 17. Meanwhile the bitchy girls can't wriggle out of accepting the burger-joint jobs (ironically, they're vocal vegetarians) Annie arranged for them. Tyler's baby's mother Sandy is in love again with Daniel.

Eric has finally decided to tell the children about his heart condition. He and Annie are flying to Scotland, so Ruthie is frantic, she doesn't want to return home but stay 'normal', not a 'preacher's kid'. Lucy plays the drama queen not to be told earlier and now refuses to listen now to Kevin, who once again is caught from all sides. T-Bone and the girls pretend to be scared and want to stay in Kevin's house while the Camdens are away, Kevin doesn't buy it; indeed Jeane is hiding from her husband, a boot-camp private she married only three weeks ago just for the benefits. Margaret has bad news for T-Bone. Sandy calls Lucy she was crazy to declare her love to co-student Daniel, she now wants her baby's dad Martin back...

At home, Kevin has a hard time teaching the twins pets like their hamsters are for life when they want to dump them on him; Lucy ultimately finds out their motive: they think daddy needs help. Mother Annie is furious to learn in Edinburgh, like Lucy earlier over the phone, selfish Ruthie has no interest in leaving her Scottish luxury life and privacy, even plans a Swiss ski trip, but cardio-terminal dad Eric declares he's allowed to be selfish and orders her home. T-Bone is furious when a phone-call from the girls gets his selfish mother on his trail, live- Kevin recognizes her as a whore he once arrested, but she consents with Lucy's advice to neglected son Theodore: get him legally emancipated, i.e. early majority in a court procedure. Martin's mate Mac is back, as best man for the wedding, but makes Sandy consider whether they're getting married for the right reason, love, not jealousy, an excuse to leave Daniel, etc. ...

Ruthie's run-in with airport security delays the family's return home. Angered that her one-way ticket triggered a search during a layover in New York, Ruthie sarcastically remarks, "I'm a terrorist," which causes Officer Keaton of the Port Authority police force to detain Ruthie, Eric and Annie for questioning. At home, Lucy finds the Camden kitchen overrun with casseroles and flowers from parishioners concerned over Eric's health. Fortunately, Lucy's calm confidence and positive attitude about Eric's heart condition lessens the anxieties of church members. While Margaret and the twins plan a musical "welcome home" for Eric, T-Bone and Jane brainstorm a special gift for him. In New York, Officer Keaton confides in Eric that his fiancée of five years, who's flying to London that night, refuses to marry him because she's afraid she might lose him in the line of fire. Later, Lucy inspires the family's neighbor, Mrs. Beeker, with her faith and strength, while Eric gives a speech at the airport, emphasizing the need to live without fear, despite the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001. In addition, he tracks down Officer Keaton's fiancée and performs a gate-side wedding ceremony. To her surprise, Sandy discovers Mac's "friendly" visit is actually a "spy" mission on behalf of Martin, who wants to know if Sandy is dating Simon, which she isn't. That evening, the Camdens arrive home to a rousing chorus of "This Land is Your Land," performed by Margaret and the twins. Up in their bedroom, Annie and Eric are surprised to find T-Bone and Jane's gift: an adjustable bed, donated by a parishioner.

Now Eric is terminal, he tells his parishioners the truth, even when it hurts, yet it seems to work out almost miraculously on several counts. Lucy takes a trip with Kevin. Ruthie is spiteful since her return from Scotland, and ever cheerful T-Bone tells her the truth, she just warns Eric will probably back-stab his emancipation, but when their bickering ends in kissing, her mood starts to turn. Margaret gets a domestic job. The whole Camden clan promises to come over for Christmas. Then lucky bum Stanley suggests to Eric he should just ask God for healing...

A few days before what Eric thinks might be his last Christmas with the whole Camden clan, he wakes up in heaven, which looks rather like Glenoak, and is welcomed by his loving mother-in-law and deceased people who appreciate what he did for them and their loved ones and worry about the mortals still on earth, including the Camden family who are preparing for Christmas--even Lucy and Kevin are back early from San Francisco. While in heaven Eric is offered miraculous Christmas gifts for his family, all things he generously gave his parishioners, such as time for Matt and Mary to spend on their families and erasers for memories which poison relationships. His family decides to extend their annual Charity Day to 3 days: 1 because it feels good, 1 as Eric's favorite present, and 1 for the infant Jesus. The best might be his own gift: everybody has a bunch of guardian angels, and the experienced one in charge of his paperwork is processing an application from colleague Stanley to grant his suggested wish for more time alive on earth.

Kevin feels that Lucy is too lazy to grocery-shop as she keeps promising to do; she hates that he buys wholesale and throws out everything officially past its expiration date, and he is pragmatic about his New Year's resolution to save money before they have a second baby. The twins spend $50 of their savings to help Darfur through Nicodemus, a Sudanese refugee who once helped Ruthie get home from a school field trip. The reverends oppose several old deacon votes Lou informs them of on matters from office furniture for Lucy (the selfish priority openly disgusts Kevin) to whether Darfur is too political a cause to get the parish's financial support. Ruthie arrogantly pretends her Scottish political talks make her an expert on all world problems compared to T-Bone, who never traveled overseas and doesn't even own a computer, but he soon finds that Margaret has doubts about the material Jane gave Ruthie, and in mere hours he learns more than she knows. Kevin tries to educate the girls, who react emotively and show generosity.

While Eric and Lucy sneak off fishing, pretending it's for a 'church stuff' seminar, Kevin must give advice -which he does in scary terms- to poor T-Bone, whose snooty girlfriend Ruthie (ab)uses him to cause jealousy with her sort-of-ex Mac, who gets himself invited to stay at the Camdens after moving back in town only to find his reuniting parents' condo has only one bedroom, and his best friend -and other semi-ex- Martin, who gets bitched at by his baby son Aaron's unmarried mother Sandy after Mac arranged for them to to double-date with T-Bone, Margaret and Jane...

T-Bone needs a drivers license to have some privacy with Ruthie, so he asks Kevin to give him practice lessons, but gets a torture version. Annie doesn't believe Lou's announcement the deacons want youth-friendlier church services because of a $16,000 budget deviation, and even a publicity swap with a car dealership; ultimately the twins solve the accounts discrepancy. Mac needs a job to pay his part of a place with Margareth and Jane, so T-Bone gets him hired as ticket colleague.

Colonel John Camden and his wife Ruth are staying over on their way to Hawaii, unannounced. Fearing they will spill the beans, Lucy wants to skip town with Kevin supposedly to help Simon, asking Sandy to cover church service, so she stays in their place with baby Aaron; she's warm to boy-friend Dr. Jonathan Sanderson, chilly to Martin. T-Bone needs help for his first Valentine's day with a girl-friend, Ruthie insists they get matching tattoos, despite his and Margaret's reluctance for permanent markings, having to hide them for the Camdens and a serious needle-phobia. Mac is happy moving into the trio's apartment means 'adult' independence, the girls see domestic misery. When Jane gets her divorce papers from soldier Jack, she wants to wait till after Valentine's day. The grandparents overhear the twins with their parents, and suggest they may soon move for good. Lucy changes her minds and turns up with Kevin.

When they realize that Ruthie has a secret and T-Bone won't talk, the Camden parents fear that her sudden religious interest means something bad, even if their denial of sex is sincere. After some prodding, the twins tell Annie, Kevin drags and bribes out of Mac, Lucy learns from Sandy, and even Eric gets from Margaret and Jane that it's just tattoos--just like Simon, Lucy, and Mary before her, supposedly all unknown to their parents. Again everyone tries to pretend to the others neither to know nor to have told; then the game shifts to guessing who knows what and who, if anyone, should tell Eric..

When a frantic Ruthie loses the tiny diamond from the promise ring that T-Bone gave her, she takes it as a sign that maybe they shouldn't be together and enlists the entire household to search for the missing stone. Meanwhile, Eric and Lucy independently come across a mysterious black bird and interpret it as a sign of bad things to come. Jonathan tells Sandy that he has strong feelings for her.

T-Bone feels insecure to learn the only thing stopping Ruthie from having her tattoo with his name removed by a doctor is lack of money; her parents firmly refuse to help pay and she is reluctant to take a job for her skin-integrity. When T-Bone generously offers to pay, 'feeling somehow responsible,' Annie and Eric are lividly disgusted when she agrees, taking money he needs for college, and they order her to take a job immediately and pay every cent herself. Meanwhile, Lucy and Kevin discover that the church of their potential parish, Crossroads, is inside the bar/grocery/school annex, there are 27 inhabitants, and Kevin would be the sheriff. The Asian doctor who runs the church complex explains that the parish gets about 100 worshippers of different denominations from four churchless counties and the minister couple should act as their 'group parents.' Mac blurts to Haley that Martin has no game that day so she makes him admit that he lied to have a day off; she also reproaches Martin for neglecting his son. Jane learns that Margaret is helping Mac with his English assignment and seems interested in him. Eric tells Margaret she should concentrate on going to college and assures T-Bone that he's not obliged to stay with selfish Ruthie unless he wishes to, or to take responsibility for her own stupidity. Kevin is eager to move to the challenging parish, Lucy feels overwhelmed, and the locals hope they will move in.

When Ruthie asks T-Bone to help her get a job at his movie theater, to earn enough for an anniversary present reciprocating his engagement ring, he tells colleague Mac that he wants to use Eric's permission to break up with Ruthie but doesn't know how. Without asking, Mac uses T-Bone's cell phone to send Ruthie a text message meaning "I break up with you", and as if that weren't blunt enough accidentally copies it to the boy's entire phone-list, so everybody knows, only Ruthie doesn't get it. Lucy is furious at 'insensitive T-Bone', Anny blames Eric fearing his permission will overshadow the couple's own feelings. Margaret is furious, feeling used, when she hears Mac has taken full credit reading the Crawford English literature paper she helped him write; Jane says that kills her blossoming love for him, Mac feels an attack by lip contact is his best shot. Kevin is very eager to become sheriff in Crossroads, where he could make a real difference, but Lucy doesn't want to move and collects excuses, so they decide to ponder their choice a bit longer. Police captain Michaels tells Kevin the job pays great, but also offers him an alternative job without moving, now he's up for promotion to chief of police himself. Martin acts toward Jane as if they aren't together, but refuses Mac's suggestion to look for a more practical girl-friend, at his college. Ruthie considers dad's advice to leave T-Bone free to choose, true love comes trough anyway; T-Bone gets second thoughts...

Eric tries to reassure T-Bone there is no reason to move out, Ruthie doesn't hate him and her spending much time with Martin doesn't have to mean anything. Then a surprise takes priority: dentist Theodore Alan 'Al' Bonaducci rides on by Harley and assures T-bone 'junior' that was his nickname as a youngster, his ma just told him in Vegas he's the kid's father, alas 17 years too late... Dr. Jonathan Sanderson proposes to elated Sandy for marriage after her graduation in a year; she promises Lucy she can delay that now Kevin and she have decided to accept the Crossroads parish. Mac is in Margaret's kissing grace. Jane assures T-Bone that Martin is not into Ruthie but with her, yet Martin also accepts a serious talk with Sandy. Only when Ruthie hears T-Bone accepts to go away a whole summer with his dad, she tells her dad she hates their break-up...

Eric and Annie rush to the hospital after Eric wakes up with a good feeling about his heart condition. Unsure whether her parents are at the hospital due to good news or bad news, Lucy is a bundle of nerves, and it's up to Kevin to keep her thinking positively as they wait for news. T-Bone and Ruthie decide to get back together, but Martin hopes to change Ruthie's mind when he reveals that he's in love with her as well.

Now Eric is miraculously cured, the colonel sends him a celebration gift: an RV. He impulsively decides to take it on an unplanned maiden trip, for which the other residents soon sign on, the only limitation being one suitcase and three personal items each. Kevin and Lucy will get out in Crossroads, to decide whether to move there permanently, but wrestle with another terrifying doubt. Martin has another question. T-Bone only lifts along to join his dad's motor road trip.