Tommy and Janet are brought together once again by another Gavin family tragedy. Jerry ends up not showing up for work. Mike decides it is time to look for some advice about his sexuality. Meanwhile, Maggie has a surprise for Sean.

Tommy ends up promising Janet that he will help her with the baby, but neglects to tell her about his future plans with Sheila. Meanwhile, Franco decides to check up on his daughter, Keela.

Tommy copes with a tragedy. Jerry must decide what to do when his wife's condition worsens. Sean has a crisis of faith. Lou learns some shocking facts about Candy. And the crew responds to a multi-level building fire with people trapped inside.

Following a meeting with Janet, Tommy has yet another confrontation with Johnny; Teddy's conjugal visits with Ellie prove to be a letdown; and Franco tries to befriend his new girlfriend's mentally challenged brother. Elsewhere, Tommy keeps his vigil at Stack's bedside.

In the aftermath of the fire, the members of 62 truck struggle to pick up the pieces and look towards the future. Down at The Rock, the new probies receive a familiar speech and stand before a new leader.

Janet decides to meet with Tommy after not speaking with him for months since the sudden death of their son. Uncle Teddy refuses to allow anyone to help him get out prison. Tommy is shocked when he accidentally discovers just who his nephew has been sleeping with.

During a night out, Franco and Tommy meet two women. Tommy is finding himself bribing his daughter Colleen before she tells their mother about his indulgent treatment of her sister Katy. Jerry visits his wife Jeannie in her expensive nursing home and soon goes to Lou for financial help. Meanwhile John Sr. insists on having his 83rd birthday at a restaurant that no one else likes.

After a game of street hockey, Sean takes some sleeping pills believing they are painkillers and it has an unwanted consequence. In the meantime, Tommy and Angie decide to go on their fake date that they know will upset Janet. After having a close call, Lou gets a new angle on firefighting from his Uncle Red.

The crew faces more than accustomed when rescuing a man from his burning apartment; Sean has a request for Maggie's dad; Franco thinks his new girlfriend is hiding something from him; and Tommy realizes that his crew's future together may be in jeopardy.

John Sr. ends up disappearing after arguing with Tommy about their living conditions. Tommy is none too thrilled with Lou's latest love interest, while Jerry's new woman might prove to be dangerous for him. Also, Sean and Maggie meet with the priest to discuss their upcoming wedding.

Janet has given birth to a baby boy---whom she fears prefers Tommy to her. But Tommy has a bigger problem: He's suspected of starting the beach-house fire. Meanwhile, Jerry's son asks him to be his best man at his commitment ceremony; Richie wants Franco to marry Natalie; Lou and Theresa get distracted in church; and the volunteer firefighter (Jennifer Esposito) who rescued Tommy from the beach house takes an interest in him---and isn't shy about letting him know.

In the fourth-season finale, Sheila learns that Jimmy's ghost has been spotted on several occasions, so she investigates. Meanwhile, Colleen blames Tommy for her failed relationship; Franco and Natalie come to an understanding, as do Lou, Cousin Mike and Latrina; and Tommy spends time with his father.

Tommy's sister suddenly shows up in town when their dad is about to inherit a million dollars. Tommy and Janet decide to renew their wedding vows. Meanwhile, Mike is worried when he finds a lump.

The hockey game rematch between the NYPD and the FDNY is right around the corner and Tommy must figure out a plan to save himself from being pummeled by the cops who have it out for him. Tommy's relationship with Sheila is discovered by the guys and they must adhere to tradition to handle it in their own way. When Tommy is visited by his demons during a fire, Franco comes to his aid... with devastating results.

When Tommy, Johnny, and Mickey confront Father Murphy it results in tragedy. Sheila needs Tommy's help with a domestic issue. Jerry decides it's time to get a nurse to care for Jeanie. Lou offers to help Candy out with her situation. And Laura discovers the truth behind Franco's poetry.

Franco begins to fear he's becoming Alicia's boy toy, while Tommy finds a way to end the fling between Damien and his science teacher. The rest of the crew also face their own problems - Lou is becoming real unstable emotionally, the chief has financial problems, and Sean is afraid of Tommy finding out who he's been sleeping with.

The crew decide to save some children from a disabled school bus as they go to call in Harlem. However, the soon meet up with an upset Rev. Al Sharpton. Franco finally realizes why Alicia is so interested in him. Mike and his roommate discuss their sexuality. Sean ends up telling Tommy about his feelings for Maggie. Sheila has a proposal for Tommy. Janet wants to talk to him about their settlement, but with no lawyers involved.

After Sheila bumps into Johnny's ex-wife, Angie, Tommy seeks her out. Jerry and Rose spend a very romantic evening together, while Mrs. Turbody is in jail for statutory rape. This gives Tommy some relief but also new worries, and Franco loses his daughter, Keela.

While Tommy and Johnny have another encounter, Janet and Angie re-establish their acquaintance. Meanwhile, Sheila is unhappy when she sees Tommy and Angie together. Maggie wants to get back together with Sean. Mike hooks up with a woman at a bar, making his roommate, Chris, jealous. Franco finds out about Jerry's second job at the pub, and the money in the no-smoking jar goes missing.

Lou turns to new-age techniques in his efforts to change his life. Sean and Maggie come to a surprising decision. Tommy and Angie continue to see each other, which quickly leads to an embarrassing scene with Janet.

Sheila lies to Tommy when he confronts her about the beach-house fire. But they present a united front to the insurance investigators, as embarrassing as it is for Tommy. Meanwhile, Lou is determined to get a basketball ringer (Larenz Tate) to be 62 Truck's new probie; Uncle Teddy is released from jail; Colleen runs away with her rock-musician boyfriend; and Mike's mother has a deathbed request.

Tommy encounters Colleen's boyfriend and sparks fly; Jerry learns he flunked his physical and is given a desk job; Uncle Teddy, hiding from Ellie, breaks into prison guard Lenny's apartment; Sheila goes out with the man who pulled her from the beach house, while Tommy keeps avoiding Nona (Jennifer Esposito), the volunteer firefighter who rescued him from the blaze; and Mike seeks Tommy's advice on how to deal with his dying mother's request that he kill her.

Emotions flare up when the crew learns about Jerry's death; Tommy's manhood is called into question after some embarrassing romantic encounters; and Lou resorts to blackmail to recruit Bart (Larenz Tate) as the new probie for the house basketball team.

The firehouse gets a new chief (Jerry Adler), who is rumored to possess a very special gift; Tommy suffers embarrassment during a hockey game against the NYPD; Franco works up the nerve to propose to Natalie while Sean tries to talk Maggie out of a divorce; and Sheila makes a surprising proposition as Janet's depression deepens.

A devastating fire has a profound effect on the crew; Tommy wrestles with his feelings about the baby; Alicia (Susan Sarandon) returns with a proposition for Franco; Troy breaks up with Sheila while Lou makes a tough decision about Theresa; and Sean apologizes to Mike about the fire he set that burned down Mike's mother's house.