Henry scolds Brandon for eating several valuable stamps. After that, Punky takes him on a walk, where he is hit by a car. He is rushed to the veterinary hospital, where his prognosis is grim.

Punky and Cherie start a dog grooming business so that they can help make ends meet in their respective homes.

Henry demands to know one reason why Randi doesn't think he should be Punky's foster father, but Randi gives him three reasons -- he's never raised a kid, he's not married, and he's too old.

Punky, Cherie, and Margaux compete in a beauty pageant hosted by pop singer Andy Gibb.

Christmas is approaching, and the only thing Punky wants is to find her mother.

As the Chicago Cubs play in their first post-season championship since 1945, proud Cubs fan Henry tries to get tickets for Punky and himself.

As the school's parent-teacher night approaches, Punky is upset by Margaux's insensitive comments about foster parents and foster children.

Henry gives Punky a lucky nickel to keep with her while she goes for a booster shot.

Christmas is approaching, and the only thing Punky wants is to find her mother.

Henry is reunited with a woman he planned to marry in 1941; when Pearl Harbor was attacked, he enlisted in the Merchant Marines and did not see her again until now.

Henry purchases a video camera for his photo studio and firmly warns Punky that she is not to touch it under any circumstances. However, while he's away, she and her friends make an exercise tape and think he won't know it - until the camera breaks.

In the series opener, in Chicago, 8-year-old Penelope ""Punky"" Brewster and her dog Brandon are found living in an empty apartment by the building's grouchy manager, photography studio owner Henry Warnimont. Punky tells Henry that it all started when her father walked out on her and her mother Susan Brewster, then a couple of weeks ago, Susan said they were going on a trip, so Susan, Punky, and Brandon piled up in their car and drove to a shopping center in Chicago, where Susan abandoned Punky and Brandon, who have been homeless ever since. In the vacant apartment, Punky always had food, because 8-year-old Cherie Johnson, who lives upstairs from Henry with her grandmother Betty Johnson, always brought food to Punky. Henry takes some memorable pictures of Punky, Cherie, Betty, Brandon, and himself at his photography studio. Later, Punky decides to clean Henry's apartment but when Henry gets home, he is furious because he liked everything the way it was before Punky cleaned the place. Hen

Henry calls the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), but Punky panics, saying that she doesn't want to go to an orphanage, so Henry promises Punky that she won't have to go to an orphanage. The DCFS sends Miranda ""Randi"" Mitchell, who takes Punky away from Henry. Randi takes Punky to Fenster Hall, a home for kids up for adoption. Randi later returns to Henry's apartment and tells Henry that there hasn't been much progress in finding Punky's mother Susan, who may not want to be found. Randi also says that in 72 hours, the DCFS will have a hearing to decide who gets custody of Punky, and Punky wants it to be Henry. Henry has shed a lot of his grouchiness, and he now loves Punky and would like to have custody of her, but Randi thinks Punky would be better off with someone else. At Fenster Hall, Punky is introduced to her two room mates -- Lisa is a girl who acts tough, and Mary is a girl who never talks. Punky wants to escape from Fenster Hall and go back to Henry's apartment,

Punky helps her piano teacher get into the music business.

Mrs. Johnson finds the task of walking the children to school to be too exasperating, so she turns it over to Henry, who attempts to instill a sense of discipline into them.

Henry tries to introduce Punky and her friends to the joys of fishing.

Punky runs away when he learns that when Henry and Maggie are to be married, she'll be sent to boarding school in Europe.

After getting in trouble for slugging a boy at school, Punky dreams of life 80 years into the future where everyone has found love except for her.

Henry takes Punky shopping and she wanders off.

Punky can't sleep, so Henry agrees to let her stay up and watch the opera with him on TV.

Henry throws out Punky's worn-out old doll after the children's attempt to repair it fails. This upsets Punky, so Henry searches throughout the city to find it.

Punky and her friends convert Henry's study room into her bedroom without asking him first.

When it's time for Punky to get her first bra, Henry is the one who has the growing pains, because he finds it hard to accept that Punky is growing up.

In a saddening episode: Henry has bought tickets to the circus which is scheduled for the next day, May 9th. When Cherie starts acting strange and says she can't go to the circus, Punky remembers that Punky's diary says that Cherie acted the same way on May 9th of last year too. Punky wants to know why Cherie likes to be alone on May 9th of every year, so Punky decides to follow Cherie around on May 9th -- and discovers that May 9th is the anniversary of the day Cherie's parents, Ronald George Johnson and Elizabeth Marie Johnson, died in a car accident in 1981, and Cherie is still having problems coping with the tragedy, because she feels guilty, thinking that the accident was her fault because her parents were on their way to pick her up from school. Punky talks to Betty, who says that Cherie never talks about her parents, not even to Betty. Cherie has never even been to the cemetery where Ronald and Elizabeth were buried. Cherie has kept her feelings about the deaths all balled up in

Punky decides that she would rather go on a yacht on Lake Michigan with Cherie and Margaux rather than stay home and take care of Brandon, until she has a dream that shows her how it feels to be Brandon.