While Maggie and Mike head off for a weekend in an uncle's cabin, the kids prepare activities of their own: a party, a date and a wild guinea pig race. But all the chaos comes to a head when their parents return because Maggie's in labor.
Max worries about making his First Communion; Mike's unhappiness with the family finances leads to a violent reaction when a drunk coworker remarks on a heavily pregnant Maggie working the late shift.
Stung by Jack's insinuation that he's not contributing his share, Sean tries to juggle a place on the varsity football squad with a part-time job and school.
Max's new bike is stolen while RJ was supposed to be watching it, driving a wedge between the two friends and making Max's newspaper delivery job much harder.
A steelworker and his wife struggle with a strike, family squabbles, their daughter's first date, and an increasingly bitter rivalry between their teenage sons.