Florida is running in a cleanest apartment competition and is sure she will win. However, her chances are dashed when Michael tries to help someone in need and brings home Ned the Wino.

J.J.'s painting of a Black Jesus, becomes the family's good luck charm after a string of success hits each family member. However, Florida refuses to entertain the notion that the painting had anything to do with the recent string of ""good times"".

Florida finds what she believes to be a dirty story called, ""Sexual Behavior in the Ghetto"". Assuming it to be J.J.'s, Florida confronts him, but she's in for a surprise when Thelma claims it and has an even bigger surprise when she learns it belongs to Thelma's latest boyfriend.

Michael comes home from school early one day with the announcement that he has been suspended. This, after telling his teacher that George Washington was a racist. James and Florida become determined to prove to Michael that he's wrong.

Michael submits a angry letter about the conditions in the Evans' apartment to a newspaper and gets an immediate response from a housing commission official who quickly finds himself stranded in the ghetto and experiences the conditions first hand.

Florida comes home from the supermarket with great news, she's been offered a role in a TV commercial. What's even better is the pay she will get, $5,000. However, once she reads the script and tests the product, Florida has second thoughts.

James is all excited because he's sure he's going to get a high paying job. However, at the interview, he learns that he's too old to join the company's union. Meanwhile, Florida and the kids get ahead of themselves and throw a celebration party for James unaware that he was rejected.

An old friend of James, who is now a shady televangilist, stops by the Evans apartment and offers James a job that would pay $100 a day. James is set to take it, however, Florida is dead set against James accepting the job, believeing the job goes against his morals and values.

Florida and the kids become concerned about James's health after reading an article in a magazine about hypertension. When he learns about their concerns, he goes through the roof and refuses to go in for a check up.

With an eviction notice over their heads, the Evans family scrambles to come up with $74 dollars needed for their rent. Despite Florida's opinion, James goes down to the pool hall to try to hustle some money, J.J. comes up with a scheme of his own and Florida and Willona go down to the welfare office.

Florida and James are worried that J.J. won't pass into the 12th grade but when he gets his report card he did indeed pass but the grades seem to be a far cry from what they should be. This leads James and Florida to do a little investigating on their part.

A popular girl wants J.J. to paint her portrait and J.J. mistakenly assumes that they will become more serious when he makes plans to ask her to go steady. However, Florida and Thelma smell a rat.

J.J. is sure he's bound to make it big when he gets a patron in Leroy Jackson, who begins providing him with all the supplies he needs. However, when James discovers who the patron is, he forbids J.J. to be associated with him and J.J. responds by moving out. This leads to a confrontation at J.J.'s new apartment between James and Leroy.