Ken Marshall, a district sales manager with the ACME Refining Company, is looking for Goober. Ken doesn't like the way Goober runs his station. Profits haven't increased and Goober's appearance doesn't fit with ACME's image. If things don't improve, ACME will take away Goober's franchise. Later, Emmett comes by the station and makes fun of Goober's white uniform and cap. Emmett is just there for a visit and gets annoyed when Goober starts checking things on his car. Goober tells Sam that he's not enjoying his work anymore with all the new rules. Howard tells Sam and Emmett that Goober shut down the station. Howard is worried that without a gas station the town will slowly fall apart. Sam can sense that Goober isn't doing well with this new job. While getting air at the gas station, Sam runs into G.B. Smith. Smith asks Sam why the station shut down and Sam tells him what happened. Turns out Smith is the president of ACME and he wants Goober to run the station the way he used to.

The annual Harvest Ball is soon and the men are asking each other who they're going to take. Goober would like to take Millie Swanson, but is having a hard time asking her. Emmett writes a letter to Millie for Goober. Meanwhile, Sam would like to ask Millie to the ball as well. Goober asks Sam to rewrite Emmett's letter and Sam finds out it's to Millie. Sam has to run an errand before he can finish Goober's letter. Millie comes to Sam's office and sees the letter. She is excited because she likes Sam. Millie gets the letter in the mail but is disappointed when she sees it's from Goober. Millie's friend Dorothy is there when she reads the letter and says what a nice guy Goober is. Millie shows up to the ball with Goober. Sam is able to get a dance with Millie and Goober can see she would rather be with Sam. Goober tells Sam what he sensed and says it's OK. Goober leaves and runs into Dorothy and senses she likes him. Sam and Millie see Goober and Dorothy walking off arm in arm.

Sam tells Goober and Emmett that the high school journalism class has been assigned to interview the office holders in Mayberry. Sam meets Nancy Hughes, who is instantly attracted to him. The next day, Nancy finds Sam at the bakery and asks to interview him some more. Millie tells Sam that Nancy has a huge crush on him. Sam now tries to avoid Nancy. Goober and Emmett tease Sam about Nancy. Sam wants to tell her off but Millie and Howard think that will effect her psychologically. Howard suggests finding a younger version of Sam for her to fall for. Sam asks Emmett's nephew Pete to join him, Millie, Nancy, Howard, and Emmett at a barbecue at Myers Lake. Nancy has no interest in Pete. Howard has a direct talk with Nancy about Sam. The next day, Nancy goes to the bakery and apologizes to Sam for throwing herself at him. Nancy is now attracted to Howard. Howard tells Sam and Emmett that he told Nancy right off that he wasn't interested. It appears she is now hooking up with Pete.

Sam, Howard, Emmett and Goober are making plans for their camping trip. Meanwhile, Mike and his friend Harold have a major argument. It's been several days and the boys are still not speaking. Howard suggests that they take the boys on the trip so they can see the meaning of friendship. The boys agree to go, as long as they don't have to speak to each other. They arrive at the camp site and the men immediately try to show what doing things together as friends is like. It's not long before the men start bickering with each other. That night, it's starts to storm and everyone is confined to the camper. The men continue to snap at one another, while Sam tries to keep the peace. The boys are watching all this and ask Sam why they are fighting. Sam tries to down play what's going on and sends the boys off to bed. The boys are starting have fun watching the men annoy each other and they become friends again. Sam has had enough and wants to drive home, but the camper is stuck in the mud.

Goober is upset over his bill from the Mt. Pilot telephone company for calls he didn't make. Sam drives Goober to Mt. Pilot and Goober speaks with Violet Henderson from the company. It's Saturday and Sam and Millie double date with Goober and Violet. A man makes a pass at Violet and Goober goes to intercede. The man punches Goober in the stomach and Violet uses her judo skills to throw the man to the floor. An embarrassed Goober asks Sam to take Violet home and leaves. Word gets around and Goober thinks the whole town is laughing at him. Violet comes by to talk to Sam and Millie shows up saying Goober is selling his gas station. Sam talks to Goober and says to show people he's not afraid, he should take Violet to Morelli's again. At Morelli's, Goober starts an argument at the jukebox with a man named Jim.

Everybody thinks Goober is going to Hawaii

Mailman Felton delivers a bunch of birthday cards to Emmett. Emmett tells Goober and Howard that he's going to be 50. The men tease Emmett a little bit about his age. Martha wants to throw a birthday party for him, but Emmett is against it. Realizing that Emmett is getting sensitive about his age, Goober and Howard try to cheer him up. After getting directions from Emmett, a guy on a motorcycle says "Thanks Gramps". Emmett then gets a blank card from a fortune machine. Emmett now feels worse. While looking through a movie magazine, Millie mentions to Emmett that Cary Grant is in his 60s. Now Emmett doesn't feel so bad about his age. He has a spring in his step and tells Martha he now wants a party. Emmett goes wild at his party. The next morning, he is all worn out. Sam comes by and the two have a talk that puts things in perspective.

Millie visits a dress shop in Mt. Pilot that is run by her friend Emma Whittaker. Millie tries on a new line of dresses and is introduced to their designer, Miss Rogers. Miss Rogers likes Millie's freshness and asks her to come to New York for a month to model the line for fashion magazines. Millie is excited and accepts the offer. It's been a week and Mr. Felton, the mailman, finally brings a card from Millie. She's been busy and has met a sculptor. Another week passes with no word from Millie. Sam goes to see Millie and Thornton Avery, the photographer, is not happy that Sam interrupted the photo shoot. Sam doesn't really get to talk to Millie as she is busy. Then the two go to a party that night. Sam finally gets a quiet moment with Millie. She says that while she's had fun, she can't wait to get back home.

Sam receives a letter from Jackson Television Productions. Their debate program will discuss which is better, big city or small town life. They request two citizens to come to New York City. Representing New York will be writer Harding Capehart and socialite Pamela Mason. The City Council pick Emmett and Howard to defend the honor of all small towns across America. It's the night of the show and people gather at Sam's office to watch the show. The show begins with moderator Mr. Jackson introducing the panelists. Howard concedes many of the points that the city representatives make. Emmett and the folks at home start to get frustrated with Howard's reactions. Howard returns to Mayberry an outcast and admits he got carried away on his first trip to New York. Sam sent a Manhattan newspaper an apologetic poem Howard had written about Mayberry. The paper prints the poem and Sam reads it to the Council. Everyone then forgives Howard.

Mike comes home late because he got into trouble at school. The teacher thought he was peeking at a girl's answers, but he was just borrowing an eraser. He is almost done writing "I will not peak" 100 times on the board and has to finish it the next day. Sam thinks Mike should assert himself and tell the teacher he did nothing wrong. Sam drives Aunt Bee to Mount Pilot and is stopped by Officer George Hopkins. The Officer says Sam didn't signal when making a turn. Aunt Bee insists that Sam did make the signal, but Sam gets a ticket anyway. Aunt Bee tells Sam to fight it in court, but Sam would just as soon pay the ticket. Back at home, Mike reminds Sam of what he told him. In court, Officer Hopkins presents his side of the story. Aunt Bee testifies and then Goober gets up and says that the electrical system in Sam's car is working perfectly. Sam is then questioned by Prosecutor McComb and is found guilty by the Judge. But something Sam later realizes gets the Judge to change his mind.

Sam and Howard meet with principal Mr. Adams and Mrs. Corcoran. Mrs. Corcoran is concerned with the rise of minor traffic accidents and violations occurring among the teenagers in Mayberry. She recommends a drivers education course be instituted. Sam recommends Goober. Goober meets with Mr. Adams and accepts the job. One day while backing out of a tight spot in the parking lot, Goober backs into Mr. Adams' beloved car, badly damaging it. Goober admits to Mr. Adams what happened and Mr. Adams can't believe his driving instructor caused the damage. Emmett tells Goober he should quit before he gets fired. Goober lets Howard and Sam know he's quitting. Sam says he'll talk to Mr. Adams first. Mr. Adams tells Sam he's willing to overlook the accident. But, Mrs. Corcoran and some of the other parents want to hold a meeting about the incident. At the meeting, Mrs. Corcoran insists that Goober be replaced.

While tossing a football with Sam at Goober's service station, Emmett falls into the grease pit. The guys take Emmett to the Doctor and learn he broke his arm. He'll have to wear a cast for 5-6 weeks. Emmett is worried about having to close his shop. Not wanting to leave the town without a fix-it shop, Emmett puts an add in the paper for help. A scientifically-minded high school boy named Ernie applies for the job. Emmett at first turns him down, but then hires him. Emmett soon learns that Ernie is very skilled at fixing things. Word spreads around town about how talented Ernie is and now everyone is bringing in things to be fixed by him. A depressed Emmett tells Sam that he's closing up shop and leaving Mayberry. He says his shop just isn't the same anymore. Sam tells Emmett that even he has to try and keep up with new things and methods. After Emmett leaves, Sam calls the high school. Emmett winds up joining Mr. Desmond's science class at the school.

At their lodge finance meeting, Sam discusses their new health insurance plan. It will only increase dues $8 a month and all bills will be paid by the lodge. Later, Howard tells Sam that his doctor suggests he have an operation to correct his deviated septum. Elmo finds the timing of this operation very suspicious. Emmett and Goober confront Howard and call him a crook. They go with to the hospital to make sure Howard doesn't pad the bill. Emmett and Goober then ask Dr. Wilson about some of the expenses of the operation. Emmett and Goober decide to go see Howard at checkout time to make sure he doesn't stay longer than he should. The lodge meets and learns the health fund is heavily depleted. Goober suggests if Howard doesn't have appendicitis the lodge shouldn't pay for the extra day. Howard is out of the hospital. Goober doesn't believe someone can develop symptoms just by talking about it. Then Sam mentions hives and Goober starts itching.

Aunt Bee is about to deposit some money in her savings account. Aunt Bee considers the Caribbean cruise she's always wanted to take. Goober, Emmett and Howard tease Aunt Bee about shipboard romances. Aunt Bee invites them to a bon voyage party on the boat. On the boat, Aunt Bee's friends point out some of the men on board. Aunt Bee mistakes Captain Charles Wolford or a steward. Aunt Bee befriends two other older ladies, Blanche Wilkins and Amelia Turner. Aunt Bee runs into Charles and accepts his invitation for coffee in the officers lounge. They wind up spending a lot of time together on the trip. Aunt Bee writes back home about Charles. Charles tells Aunt Bee that he is going to retire after this trip and hopes to settle down on a farm somewhere. Her two week trip is over and Aunt Bee returns home. She tells her friends that Charles proposed and she accepted. Aunt Bee receives a telegram from Charles saying he'll be arriving in Mayberry in a week.

Sam was experimenting growing string beans, but his crop turned out very poorly. Sam consults with his friend Ralph Barton, but Ralph has no answers. He then talks to Harry at the lawn and garden shop in town, but he's no help. Meanwhile, Millie is growing string beans in her backyard garden. Sam later sees Millie's beans and asks her what she did to get them to grow so well. Turns out Millie did nothing special but water them. Sam gets irritated when Millie sees a bucket of his tiny shriveled up beans. That night Sam and Millie are double dating with Goober and Marilyn. Sam becomes annoyed when Goober keeps complimenting Millie's beans. Mike talks to Millie about her fight with Sam and her beans. Later, Mike tells Sam that Millie talks to her beans. Ralph sees Sam talking to his beans and tells Sam something that makes him feel better. Sam apologizes to Millie and brings her some of his tomato crop. After he leaves, she compares his tomatoes to hers and hers are bigger.

Sam hires a new farmhand, Rudy Harwell, to help harvest his corn crops. Emmett mentions to Sam how impressed Mike is with Rudy. Even Flora sees how much Mike admires Rudy. Flora tells Sam he should spend more time with Mike. She is afraid Mike is beginning to enjoy being around Rudy more than him. The next day, Sam takes Mike into town, but Mike doesn't seem to have much fun. Flora tries to tell Rudy how close Sam and Mike are. Back at home, Sam and Mike try to put a model car together. Things don't go smoothly and then Rudy comes in and finishes the model. Mike goes off with Rudy. Later, Mike is having a hard time with a composition for school. Flora tells him to ask Sam for help, but he goes to Rudy instead. Rudy intentionally gives Mike bad advice hoping he will then turn to Sam. Mike does go to Sam and tells him about the bad advice Rudy gave him. The corn crop is harvested and Rudy leaves. It's then that Sam figures out that Rudy wanted Mike to be close to his father.

The group arrive in Palm Springs and then head to Selma's house. The home is large and beautiful. Howard and Goober wind up having to share a room. Millie comes back from town saying she saw Rock Hudson. By the pool, Howard gets upset when Goober gets him wet. Their bickering continues that night while they're in their bedroom trying to sleep. The next morning Goober and Howard are still getting on each other's nerves. The others notice this and hope it won't ruin the vacation. Sam rents a Dune buggy and he, Millie, Howard and Goober go riding in the desert. Goober and Howard are still not getting along. They run out of gas and fortunately another driver comes by. Sam and Millie go with the driver to get gas after Goober and Howard insist on staying behind. The two start to worry when it seems that Sam has been gone longer than it should've taken. The men start to confess things to each other and become friends again.

Mike sees in a catalog a silver vase that he would like to get for Aunt Bee's birthday. It seems Mike accidentally ordered a copy machine from Amalgamated Copy Machine Co. There's a 10-day free home trial. Mike decides to go into business with his friend Harold and make copies for people in town. He hopes to make enough money to buy Aunt Bee's gift. Ernie Newhouser, from Amalgamated, shows up at Sam's house. Sam manages to put off Ernie and then goes to talk to Mike. Mike figures he'll fill the order and then mail it back. But he trips over the cord and damages the machine, but it still works. Mike takes the machine to Emmett's, but he can't fix it. He then tries to get a bank loan from Cyrus Tankersley with no luck. Sam finds out about the machine and gets upset. Harold tells Sam that Mike used the machine again so he could buy Aunt Bee's gift. Understanding what Mike went through, Sam tells him he'll keep the machine.

Howard's been dating a woman named Grace and they are really getting along. But Howard tells Sam that there seems to be something missing. Grace tells Millie the same thing. The next day, Howard decides there should be common interests between him and Grace. He tells Sam that during their date that night, he will ask her about her hobbies. When asked, Grace tells Howard her hobby is skydiving. At the Mt. Pilot Airport, Howard gets a lesson in skydiving from Chuck. Grace is thrilled that Howard is taking the lessons. Sam can tell that Howard is nervous about his first jump and tells him he doesn't have to go through with it. It's the day of the jump and Goober and Emmett are not helping to ease Howard's nerves. Howard makes the jump and all his friends congratulate him. The next day, Howard tells Sam that he should be in good with Grace now. Grace then pulls up on a motorcycle she just bought. She tells Howard that he'll love riding and should get one of his own.

Emmett has Sam, Howard and Goober at his shop and has them watch him burn his paid mortgage contract. Emmett also tells them that he is retiring. Martha is surprised when Emmett tells her the news. He also says that they'll take a trip to Washington, D.C. But they no sooner get to D.C. when Emmett says it's time to go home. Back in Mayberry, Emmett tries to fill his time with fishing and other activities. Martha runs into Sam and tells him that Emmett can't seem to find enough things to do. Sam says it might just take time to adjust. Goober loses his patience with Emmett when Emmett hangs around the gas station and tells Goober how to do things. Sam, Howard and Goober find a way to get Emmett back in the fix-it business and still save face.

Aunt Bee and Sam prepare for a visit from Andy and Helen and their new baby, Andy Jr. After they arrive, Howard, Goober, and Emmett come by to see the baby. Goober, then Emmett and then Howard, each hint that they would like to be the Godfather. After they find out that Sam is chosen, the men are upset because they all feel they are closer to Andy. Andy notices that the three men have become very cold and distant to him. They're also distant to Sam. Andy suggests having four Godfathers and the men agree. But then the three fight over who will be the spokesman at church. It's the day of the christening and it still hasn't been decided who will be the spokesman. When the Reverend asks for the spokesman, all four men come up. Despite things being very unorthodox, the Reverend smooths things over. Later, Mike wonders why he doesn't have four Godfathers and Sam has to rectify the situation.

Sam runs into an old war buddy named Charlie Harris. Charlie is a golf pro at one of the local clubs. He invites Sam and Millie over to the driving range for some lessons. After some time on the range, Sam remembers that they have to pick up Goober and Mike from the movies. Millie would like to stay, so Charlie offers to drive her back. Later, when Charlie brings Millie home, he tells her she's beautiful and kisses her. Goobers at the door and happens to see this, but he doesn't see her slap Charlie. Millie tells Goober not to say anything to Sam. Millie finally tells Sam what happened and he just laughs it off saying that's the same old Charlie. This makes Millie furious and she feels she's being taken for granted. Wanting to show Sam, Millie goes to ask Charlie for a date. He says that she's "Sam's girl" and he's apologizes for what he did. Millie decides to make it look to Sam as though she's going out on a date. She spends the night at a malt shop.

Millie tells Aunt Bee that she would like to go stay at a fancy hotel in Charlotte with Sam. Sam comes home and tells Millie they're going camping with Howard and Barbara Evans. Sam doesn't know that Millie hates camping. After she hears how Barbara loves fishing, hiking and camping, Millie decides she better go. Howard falls and tears a ligament in his foot while gathering firewood. Millie begins to feel out of place seeing Barbara's outdoor know-how. And it doesn't help that Sam and Barbara get along so well. No matter how hard Millie tries, she's just can't compete with Barbara. The next morning, Sam and Barbara go off fishing before Millie wakes up. Millie gets upset and tells Howard she's taking Sam's truck and going home. Back at home, Millie tells Aunt Bee how she ruined the trip. Because she's a better "indoors" person, Aunt Bee thinks Millie should host a dinner party for Sam, Howard and Barbara and show off her talents.

Mike loses Howard's prized mynah bird. Final appearance of Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee.

Aunt Bee's friend Ella comes by and wants to hear all about Charles. Aunt Bee is planning an engagement reception. Meanwhile, Howard, Goober and Emmett are concerned that Aunt Bee may have rushed into the engagement. They don't trust Charles and will keep an eye on him at the party. It's the night of the reception and the towns people get to meet Charles. He claims he'll take good care of Aunt Bee. The next day Charles and Aunt Bee look at a farm and set the date for the wedding. Aunt Bee sees a TV show about a sea captain talking to his girlfriend. The captain says that the sea will always be a part of him. Aunt Bee starts to wonder whether Charles will some day want to return to the sea. Little things that Charles does makes Aunt Bee even more concerned. At the wedding rehearsal, Aunt Bee says she wants to postpone the wedding.