On the eve of the election, Elliott Baines realizes his Senate seat is in jeopardy when he discovers how badly he's trailing in the polls; his eldest daughter, Ellen, convinces him to return to Seattle to make a last ditch effort to campaign for votes; his middle daughter, Reeva, finds her life unraveling when she catches her husband in a compromising situation with another woman; his youngest daughter, Dori, finally lands a job as a newsroom photographer and is angry when she learns that her father used his connections to get her the position.

Elliott awakens to the ear-splitting sounds of drumming and smoothies being blended in the kitchen by Claude Waverley, Dori's boyfriend; when Elliott's stranded later by a dead car battery, Claude saves the day by giving him a lift and some much-needed words of wisdom while they wait for a tow truck; when Reeva suspects that her husband is having an affair, she enlists Dori's help in spying on Shel; Ellen becomes uneasy when her partners suggest that Elliott join their law firm.

Reeva leaves Shel and moves into Elliott's house with Sam and Ruthie; Elliott's attempt to heal the rift backfires when Shel tells him more than he wants to know about the problems in his daughter's relationship; Ellen's growing attraction to Andy Carlson prompts her to withdraw from his case; after telling Dori about overhearing Claude speaking intimately on the phone to another woman, Elliott is dismayed to learn about the open relationship his daughter has with the musician; Shel attempts to patch things up with Reeva at Sam's birthday party; Reeva drops a bomb on the entire family when she announces she's pregnant and not sure she's keeping the baby; Ellen and Arthur discuss her wanting to run for Congress.

Elliott exhibits signs of depression after Ellen announces her decision to run for Congress; Elliott runs into his next door neighbor when he takes out the trash, and is cajoled into taking an old lamp to the ""Antiques Caravan"" television show; a confrontation with a shady client helps Ellen realize that she could become an influential force for change in Congress; Reeva interviews for a job in the university anthropology department, but decides to take a job selling cosmetics; Dori tags along with a famous photographer covering a big murder trial, and winds up taking the photograph that makes the front page.