George is hailed a hero after saving a woman from a mugging. However, later, George is intimidated by the mugger who threatens him which leads George to hire a personal bodyguard.

George and Louise discover that the landlord, Mr. Whittendale, may not be renewing their lease. This prompts George and Louise to invite Whittendale over to discuss this matter. However, just before he comes over, Harry drops his ant farm in the middle of the Jefferson's living room.

At the last minute, George's speaker at a benefit cancels which leaves him scrambeling to find a celebrity to speak. He sets out to rope Billy Dee Williams into speaking even considering getting a celebrity look-alike. However, George passes himself off as Alex Haley, and Billy Dee agress to speak. Meanwhile, an excited Florence is let down when she mistakes Billy Dee, her idol, for an impersonator.

Louise is to present a Volunteer award and must take care of the engraving on the plaque. However, when Florence takes it to her cousin, he mispells the name. This leads to a huge fight between Florence and Louise which results in Louise firing her. When George hires her back to serve some guests he's entertaining, constant bickering erupts.

As Louise and George look through old photos, they recall George opening his first store in 1968. His opening coincides with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr and when news of his death circulates, chaos erupts in the Jeffersons' neighborhood.

George's latest business deal is with a black man married to a white woman, so when he invites them over for dinner, he also has Tom and Helen come over, to make it look like he doesn't have racial prejudices. However, when Tom and Helen discover his plot, they storm out before the guests have arrived. This leads to George having Florence and Ralph impersonate Tom and Helen.

Florence breaks down and tells Louise that she's losing her apartment due to the fact that the building is going to be torn down, this leads Louise to offer Florence a live-in maid position at the Jeffersons. Now the only problem is to get George to allow her to accept the job.

One early morning, Louise and George are startled to discover a man in the kitchen, it isn't until after George threatens to beat him with a trophy, that he learns that Florence let him spend the night. This leads to a major argument resulting in Florence quitting her job.

For George's birthday, Louise books herself, George and Florence on a murder mystery cruise ship for mystery novelists, thus George pretends to be a novelist. George is having fun trying to solve a murder mystery until an apparant ""real"" murder occurs.

On the night of a big banquet for Tom, George runs out at the last minute to do an errand at his store in Queens. Once there, we're taken back to 1968 and witness the grand opening of Jefferson Cleaners and we see how George earned his first dollar.

Florence's latest boyfriend, Buzz Thatcher, proposes marriage which she accepts happily. However, his religious attitudes give Louise a bad feeling about the whole thing.

Louise is excited when she gets to have an orphan, stay at the Jefferson's apartment for a week. However, when she and Florence go out to the store and leave George in charge some of his prejudiced attitudes rub off on the impressionable young lady leading to what was supposed to be a week turns into only a few hours.

Louise and Florence run into members of the Ku Klux Klan at the CPR class held for the tenants in the building. Meanwhile, a rash of robberies in the building prompts Tom to start a meeting with the tenants. He later gets invited to one already scheduled unknown to him it's a Ku Klux Klan meeting and he invites George to come along with him.

After being ignored, a hurt Mother Jefferson fakes a fall and gets all the attention she wants and proves to be an even bigger burden to Louise than usual.

Florence goes on a cleaning spree in the Jefferson's apartment as well as behaving extremely strange including, kissing Harry and giving away a swimming award to Louise. This leads Louise to believe Florence is contemplating suicide.

Mother Jefferson is all excited about it being her 70th birthday and even more excited about what George is giving her for a gift. However, George and Louise have totally forgotten all about it leading them to scramble to come up with something to please the old bitty.

Louise and George have yet another one of their infamous fights which leads to Louise storming off to the Willis'. Soon after she leaves, a burglar holds George hostage and ties him up. Louise also gets tied up when she returns. This leads to George and Louise reminiscing about their lives and the time they've spent together. As the burglar loots the apartment, Louise and George sit in the kitchen tied up. They continue to reminisce about their lives (via flashbacks). Memories include, Louise putting up with Mother Jefferson and their lives when they lived across the street from Archie Bunker. Memories continue as Louise and George are being held hostage. Later, the burglar finally leaves and Florence arrives home to discover what happened. The excursion proves to have bring George and Louise closer together.

George is planning a surprise party for Louise in which her gift is a surprise visit from her sister, Maxine. When Louise has a strange reaction to her sister, George is puzzled, unknown to him, her reasons stem to her and Maxine's childhood.

George is all excited about having a magazine expose done on him and his cleaning business. However, the magazine wants to present a non-stereo typical view of blacks, and this is a problem for Otis, a shoeshine man who has his stand right out side of George's Harlem store.

The Jeffersons have moved on up and are now enjoying living in their new high-rise apartment. Louise has made a new friend in Diane Stockwell, who is having a hard time believing that George made his way up the ladder without doing anything shady. However, bigger problems are brewing when George insists that Louise hire a maid but Louise is totally against the idea.

Louise is expecting a visit from her Uncle Ward, a man who happens to be a butler. His job is what makes George and Lionel put him down, calling him an "Uncle Tom." Meanwhile, a fight at school prompts Lionel to get kicked out.

Mother Jefferson encounters a masher in the elevator and later discovers he's Jenny's uncle. Things get out of hand when she locks him out on the balcony. Meanwhile, George wants to buy antique furniture, much to Louise's dismay.

Jenny is tired of the bickering between her two grandfathers who have been against each other ever since Tom and Helen wed. So this leads Jenny, Louise and Mother Jefferson to concoct a scheme to get the two together at the Jeffersons' apartment since neither of the grandfathers will step foot in the Willis' apartment.

George's old navy buddy, Wendell comes for a visit and immediately begins making passes at Louise. Louise quickly finds herself in a difficult situation, especially since she likes the unexpected attention, since George has recently not been spending any time with her.

Louise realizes that Mother Jefferson has a strong hold on George when he refuses to cancel a monthly lunch with his mother and go with Louise to a funeral for a family friend.