The Salinger family tries to solve Bailey's drinking problem. Claudia calls him and tells a story about Owen falling down the stairs. Bailey rushes to the house, when Charlie, Julia, Claudia, Grace and Sarah hold him. One by one, they all try to show Bailey that he has a drinking problem. He refuses to accept it and fights with everybody. Joe arrives and tells Bailey that his father had a drinking problem too, but he stayed sober 18 year until he died. Bailey doesn't believe it, but Charlie does and proves to be true. They all try to get Bailey into an AA program, but he refuses. When everybody had already given up, Claudia tells Bailey that if he doesn't face his problem and look for help, than he will no longer be a part of the family. Bailey leaves.

Kirsten and Charlie find out that they are having a baby boy. Claudia and Bailey exchange their good news to each other. Julia wants to surprise the family with her news at the restaurant. At dinner, everyone announces that they all will be leaving San Francisco, but it results into a problem. Charlie convinces his siblings to leave San Francisco. And after six years alone without their parents, the Salingers decide to sell their family house. (THE END)

Now when she knows the truth about their financial problem Julia starts working on resolving the problem with Griffin. Meanwhile, Charlie's relatives struggle to deal with the fact that Charlie is sick.

Bailey has a bad day. Both Charlie and Kirsten try to spend time together, but their jobs say different. Julia gets into trouble after she writes an article about a non-enrolled classmate. Claudia meets a boy from the past and learns more about her instinct in boys. A boy in school tells Owen that Victor is a faggot.

Bailey refuses to accept that he's ok. He wants to get help even tough he doesn't have drinking problems anymore. He realizes that he's only happy when other people are miserable. He makes up with Holly. Kristen is feeling weird at work and Charlie worries about her, fearing a depression, but the reason she has been an emotional roller coaster is because she's pregnant. Julia gets an email from Justin and decides to go to Vegas and stop him from getting married. Adam confesses his love to her and she decides to let Justin get on with his life, even tough he's not sure Laura is the one. Claudia gets mad at Todd because he doesn't pay attention to her, but he was just afraid of doing something wrong. She kisses him. Joe is tired of Charlie not trusting him anymore, so he decides to leave the restaurant, but Charlie asks him to stay.

A bully tortures Owen at school and Victor is ready to help him. Bailey thinks about how far should his relationship with Holly go. Julia and Claudia leave for a trip to visit some colleges. Luke moves in with Daphne. Kirsten goes on a surgery that could help her become pregnant.

Bailey is alone. The Salingers strategy to not speak to him doesn't seem to be working. Bailey keeps drinking and drinking, and he misses his game. Coach Petrocelli gets really disappointed at him. Bailey can't stay sober. He tries to have sex with Callie, but she tells him that he really has a problem. Claudia goes to Avery searching for answers for questions about her father. She blames Bailey problem on her father, but Charlie tells her that he got over his drinking problem, and became a wonderful father, as she knew him. Griffin comes back and Julia spends the night with him. Bailey picks Owen at the daycare and disappears with him. When he gets to the house, Charlie kicks him out, and Sarah goes after him. She tries to talk to him, but he doesn't want to. They get on the car, and Bailey crashes it, hurting Sarah. At the hospital, Bailey cries and asks Sarah for help.

The fight between Charlie and Bailey for the custody of Owen continues. After Julia finally breaks up with Ned and moves out of his apartment, he starts stalking her.

Charlie decides to go to Chicago to see Kristen and leaves Julia in charge. Kristen is very happy to see him, although Ellie is not. She tells him that she wants to run away to San Francisco, but half way there she realizes she's not ready to go back and they return to Chicago. She says he's her problem. Charlie leaves her there. Julia is more concerned about her personal life than her brother and sister. Claudia claims to be sick, but Julia won't believe her until she gets a call from the hospital saying Claudia had appendicitis and had a surgery. She won't forgive Julia until she overhears how sorry she is. Bailey lies to Sarah in order not to sleep with her. He skips practice and Sarah finds a drunk Bailey passed out at his place. He tells her he slept with Callie, but they don't break up. Callie is tired of being used by Bailey.

Julia, Bailey and Charlie leave to their family cabin up in the Sierras to relax for some time. Claudia is convinced that noone really cares about her anymore and sends off some college applications. Julia talks to Griffin about Rosalie. Bailey finds out Annie was forced to go into a rehab clinic.

Julia decides to break up with Evan after she discovers his emotional-unavailability. Claudia gets drunk when noone reacts on Derek's problems. Charlie considers leaving his job and working at the factory. Bailey spends time dating a lot of girls and gets interested in Holly. Daphne and Griffin survive a terrible motorcycle accident and the Salingers are ready to pay for his expensive hand surgery.

The release of the drunk driver who killed their parents divides the family.

It's the wedding day. Charlie is not sure and asks Kristen to wait 6 more months, but she doesn't understand. He feels pressured and can't handle it. Everybody is worried about what's happening. Ellie tells Kristen to pressure Charlie, and so she tells him that is now or never. He leaves the house. Just as she is announcing to everybody that the wedding is off, he shows up. He decided to get married in order not to lose her forever. He is waiting for her in the altar, but she never shows up. He goes talk to her and she tells him that they shouldn't get married like this, afraid of what might happen in the future. She gives him the wedding ring back and leaves. Bailey tells Will that he might love Sarah and she feels the same way, so Will decides to step out of the picture letting them stay together. Julia and Justin get drunk and have sex.

Kristen's parents arrive and Charlie gets furious with Claudia for calling them. Gene keeps blaming Charlie for her condition and threats to sue him. Ellie can't interfere because she doesn't want to ruin her marriage again. They decide to take Kristen back to Chicago, and Charlie tries to stop them, but Kristen is too disturbed to decide anything. Julia and Sarah go to Dartsmouth for their interviews but they can't keep their minds away from home, so Julia realizes it's better to go to a college close to home. Callie is having problems with her father and she and Bailey drink to celebrate their independence. Bailey and Julia decide to go home to comfort Charlie and Claudia can't forgive herself for what happened.

Grace's parents are spending time with them, and Grace doesn't like it, but Charlie does. Claudia is spending time with Avery, which makes his son jealous of her. Bailey spends all his money in drinking and can't afford a clown for Owen's birthday party, so he dresses as a clown. He gets to the party drunk and ruins it. Martin tells Charlie that Bailey might have a drinking problem, but Charlie refuses to accept that idea, even though everybody else thinks so too. Julia breaks up with Sam because he's a racist.

Sarah and Bailey host a Christmas party, while Charlie decides to go on a long distances trip with Kirsten. Will realizes that he and Bailey are living in totally different worlds. Julia pains a nice picture inspired by Justin.

Bailey realizes he needs to fire Julia from his restaurant, because she is a terrible waitress. Charlie asks for help at home and the restaurant after he realizes he is unable to function. Claudia realizes that Reed does not has the same feeling to her like she does to him.

Charlie and Bailey continue to fight over Owen's custody while Owen's learning disability grows. With Maggie's help, Griffin whisks Julia away from Ned to convince her to leave him.

Claudia is preparing to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and her only wish is that the whole family gets back together. A city-wide power failure traps Julia and Griffin in an elevator. Paul talks to Charlie about Kirsten and tells him that she belongs to him.

Claudia tries to slow down her new relationship with Cody. Meanwhile, Julia moves closer to her writing professor while Sarah and Bailey move even more away from each other. Charlie tries to talk to Kirsten, but learns that the easy way is not the way he has to go with Kirsten.

Bailey continues dating Holly, a very interesting girl. They spend the night together and end up under the sheets. Griffin fells that he has a debt to the Salingers, now that they payed for his expensive hand surgery. Claudia tries to return to playing her violin, but gets upset when she finds out she's no longer the best. Charlie and Kirsten try to buy illegal hormones, but end up realizing they should get pregnant naturally.

Bailey goes to a wedding with Holly and all her relatives think they're married. Julia's new editor hasn't answered her about her book, so she tries to find her and not just sit and wait. When she finds her, she tells Julia that another book with the same story of hers has been published, so her book won't be published anymore. Thurber, the family dog, is sick. Claudia takes him to the veterinary. Charlie and Kirsten are in a double date with Daphne. Charlie quits his job after his boss says no to his projects, but when they talk, he gets back. Bailey and Claudia decide to put Thurber to sleep, and the whole family spread his ashes in the park, saying goodbye for the last time to the long-time friend.

In this special episode, we, the viewers, get to take a look at what the Salingers' lives would have been like if their parents hadn't died. Claudia is a touring violinist, Bailey and Charlie become unsettled with their father and Julia is engaged to Justin until she meets a mechanic named Griffin, which sparks second thoughts.

Bailey decides to go to Wharton Business School at UPenn in Philadelphia, but has a hard time trying to convince Owen to go with him. Claudia decides that she wants to go to Stansford instead of Julliard so that she is closer to home and Todd. Todd tells her not to give up an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Julia gets a job offer from the National Organization for Women (NOW). Daphne becomes miserable in Texas.

Bailey gets into big doubts, when Kate, who has returned back, and Jill both want to get back together with him and continue their relationship where it stopped. Charlie becomes troubled when he grounds Claudia and does not gives Bill a raise. In the meantime, Julia wins a award for her writing, but she's not in the bad mood, because she humiliated her siblings.