Having learned that her sister, Maggie (Cybill Shepherd), is having marital problems, Cate is nevertheless not too thrilled when Paul invites Maggie to stay at the house -- the sisters have a long history of sibling rivalry. Meanwhile, Paul and Cate are impressed with how mature Bridget has become after they agreed to let her go out with neighbor Donny Doyle (Thad Luckinbill), who is home from the Naval Academy; and Bridget and Kerry wonder if Kyle has ulterior motives when he befriends Rory.
Paul Hennessy has grown accustomed to his stay-at-home wife Cate taking care of their son and two daughters. His job as a sports writer kept him on the road a lot during the kids' formative years. But when Cate decides to return to work as a hospital nurse, Paul takes a job as a columnist and agrees to make the duties of raising the kids a shared experience.
Paul fondly remembers the days when his daughters would sit on his lap singing silly songs, and he was their hero for scaring away monsters from under the bed. But those days are long gone.