Dr. Andy Brown, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, has always put his career ahead of his family. But after his wife's passing, Andy was faced with the daunting task of raising his two children, Ephram and Delia, alone. To do so, Andy decides to trade in his face-paced New York life for small town life in Everwood, Colorado.

There, Andy starts and runs a free clinic and quickly adapts to his new surroundings, as does his 9 year-old daughter, Delia. But the move is hard on his 15 year-old son, Ephram, who resents his father for neglecting his family in order to further his career.

Andy and Ephram's fragile relationship is further strained when it appears that Andy is once again putting work before family. Meanwhile, as the town of Everwood celebrates its annual Fall Thaw Festival, Ephram's interest in Amy continues to blossom. Although Bright tells Ephram that Amy is using him just go get his father to get Colin out of coma. Delia gets into trouble at school for questioning her teacher's antiquated rules.

Andy's neighbor and friend Nina (Stephanie Niznik) is ostracized by the townspeople when they discover she is a surrogate mother for a woman in her mid-50s. Andy's clumsy attempt to come to Nina's defense backfires, but she turns to him and Ephram for help when the baby makes an unexpectedly early arrival. Meanwhile, Ephram is dealt an emotional blow when Amy disinvites him to a party in order to gain the approval of her friends; and Delia attempts to befriend the school bully, Magilla (guest star Bret Loehr).

Dr. Brown and Dr. Abbott must put their striking differences aside to educate the town of Everwood after several of their teenaged patients are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. To make sensitive matters worse, Dr. Abbott has reason to suspect that his son, Bright, may have been intimate with one of the patients. Meanwhile, Ephram pushes his romantic feelings aside to comfort Amy who is distraught over not being able to go to the Fall Dance with her boyfriend who remains in a coma.

After a lost deer makes the Brown's backyard its new home, Andy insists on accompanying Ephram who decides to help the animal find its way home to the wilderness, where the journey includes a long hike through the mountains. Meanwhile, Ephram finally admits to Amy that he never asked his father to consider operating on her boyfriend, Colin, who is in a coma. Lastly, Delia questions the existence of God after a classmate tells hear that he doesn't believe in higher beings.

Andy meets with Colin's parents to discuss a potential course of treatment for the comatose teen. Amy is heartbroken and Ephram is furious when Andy decides against performing a risky operation on Amy's comatose boyfriend. Meanwhile, Delia is forbidden from playing with her only friend, Magilla (guest star Bret Loehr), after his parents discover them playing dress up. Dr. Trott, a traveling psychologist (guest star Jane Krakowski) sets up shop and stirs up the emotions of several townspeople who seek her guidance, much to the chagrin of a distrustful Dr. Abbott.

The former Big Apple neurosurgeon, Dr.Andrew Brown, puts on his scrubs for the first time since he relocated his family to Colorado to operate on Amy's comatose boyfriend, Colin (Mike Erwin), with the help of his friend and surgery partner from New York, Dr. Brian Holderman (guest star Lamont Thompson). Adding to his performance anxiety is the identity of the patient - Colin Hart, the boy who was dating Amy before she stole Ephram's heart.
It also doesn't help that the tricky procedure he plans to perform has never been attempted before. Amy leans on Ephram for support as she awaits the outcome. Meanwhile, an emotional Bright breaks down and admits what actually happened the day of the car accident as Colin's former life in Everwood is also revisited as flashbacks reveal some startling secrets about the teen's last days before the accident that put him in the hospital.

As his wedding anniversary draws near, Andy loses all hope and questions whether he will ever feel his life is worth living again. Meanwhile, Ephram and Amy share their first kiss while on a field trip, and Dr. Abbott has a panic attack when his wife Rose(Merrilyn Gann) proposes they take salsa dancing lessons. Andy also helps a couple whose marriage problems are caused by hives.

The unannounced arrival of Jacob and Nonny Hoffman (Mark Rydell, Doris Belack) from New York is greeted with glee by Delia and Ephram. But Andy feels pressed to his limits as he tries to placate his overbearing guests, particularly his pushy father-in-law, who openly criticizes the physician's parenting skills. On top of that, Jacob obviously enjoys a special bond with Ephram that Andy can't duplicate. Meanwhile, Nonny makes her own impression in Everwood when she butts heads with Edna over Delia's affections. Lastly, Ephram sneaks out of the house to see Amy who is still emotionally recovering from the aftermath of Colin's (Mike Erwin) surgery.

Delia and her grandmother (guest star Doris Belack) throw a festive birthday party for a grumpy Edna who hates this particular day of the year, but everyone winds up snowed in for the night when a big storm hits town. In the midst of it all, Bright collapses from a burst appendix and Drs. Brown and Abbott have to improvise an operating room before the infection spreads; while Andy and Ephram let months of tension and hurt feelings explode in front of everyone with a threat of Ephram moving back to New York with his grandparents.

In hopes of raising his little sister Delia's spirits, Ephram does his best to recreate his mother's Thanksgiving traditions as the Brown family spends their first holiday without her. Meanwhile, in order to save a patient's life, Dr. Brown must find the man's missing brother, who is believed to live in the woods; and curmudgeonly Dr. Abbott attempts to befriend the entire town when he has a health scare and questions whether anyone would attend his funeral.

A heartbroken Ephram finds himself the odd man out as Amy prepares for Colin's homecoming. Meanwhile, Andy and Dr. Abbott join the town in a debate over the use of medicinal marijuana after a large quantity is discovered in a deceased woman's greenhouse; and Andy provides medical guidance to Nina after her son's teacher suggests she put him on Ritalin.

Much to resident thespian Dr. Abbot's chagrin, Andy begrudgingly auditions and is offered the lead in Everwood's production of "The King and I". As Dr. Brown struggles with his lines, Ephram struggles with his emotions when his intense feelings for Amy are complicated by Colin's (Mike Erwin) desire to be his friend.

Although conflicted by his feelings for Amy, Ephram finds himself serving as confidante and friend to Amy's boyfriend, Colin, who continues to feel like a fish-out-of-water as he attempts to reclaim his life before the accident. Meanwhile, Andy hopes to convince Ephram to resume the piano lessons he abandoned after his mother's passing; Nina's absentee husband (guest star Dylan Walsh) comes home for a visit, which proves to be far from happily ever after; and in a bittersweet turn of events, Amy and Colin are nominated for Homecoming King and Queen.

On a church ski trip chaperoned by perpetual party pooper Dr. Abbott, Amy and Colin share their first kiss since the surgery. Ephram finds himself intrigued by Colin's younger sister, Laynie (guest star Nora Zehetner), who has recently returned home from boarding school. Also, Bright attempts to get to the next base with his girlfriend (guest star Devon Reilly). Meanwhile, Andy hesitantly agrees to attend a singles mixer with the recently divorced Reverend Keyes (guest star Tim Dekay).

When traveling psychologist Dr. Gretchen Trott (guest star Jane Krakowski) comes back into town, Andy is forced to confront his potentially romantic feelings for her. In other romantic entanglements, Edna and Irv have difficulty adjusting to life after his heart attack scare; Harold and his wife Rose (guest star Merrilyn Gann) have it out after they attend couples therapy and she suggests that he's lost that lovin' feeling; and Ephram asks Laynie (guest star Nora Zehetner) out on their first date, in part to show Amy that he's moving on with his life.

When Dr. Abbott's dementia-plagued, elderly godfather (guest star Luke Askew) confesses to a cuddle that took place 30 years ago and reveals that Abbott's father was his accomplice, Abbott and Dr. Brown join the investigation in an attempt to find out what really happened and clear the men's names. Meanwhile, Ephram can't seem to keep Amy (Emily VanCamp) far from his thoughts, causing major problems in his burgeoning relationship with Laynie (Nora Zehetner). Dr. Brown butts heads with Ephram's new piano teacher (guest star Ian Vogt) over what is best for Ephram.

Approaching the anniversary of his mother's passing, Ephram confronts a repressed memory of his father cheating on his mother, causing an even bigger rift between father and son that eventually leads to a firestorm of emotions. Meanwhile, Amy grows concerned that Colin might not be recovering as well as everyone thinks when he gets unhappyly ill on one of their dates. Amy tells her father who later tells Doctor Brown which causes the Harts to dismiss Andy from being their family doctor and causes a feud between Amy and her father.

Although Amy and Bright are still living in denial regarding the state of Colin's (Mike Erwin) recovery, Ephram can't ignore the bad signs any longer after he witnesses Colin freaking out and vandalizing the gym teacher's office. Meanwhile, a New York Magazine reporter pays a visit to Dr. Brown in hopes of uncovering the truth behind why the famed surgeon is still living in Everwood. And Delia decides to secretly spend the night in the Museum of History while on a school field trip.

A nervous Ephram feels the pressure of performing his first piano recital in Everwood; Dr. Brown and Dr. Abbott attempt to diagnose a man (guest star Dan Merket) with a mysterious sleeping disorder that leaves welts on his body; and Amy pretends to want to spend time with her grandmother, Edna, in order to secretly see Colin while she's grounded. Meanwhile, the town is buzzing with rumors of UFOs and aliens after locals observe something strange in the sky.

Dr. Brown faces one of the toughest moral decisions of his career when a distraught pregnant teenager (guest star Kate Mara) and her father (guest star Kevin Tighe) come to him for guidance about terminating her pregnancy. Meanwhile, Ephram is humiliated in front of the entire school when his date for the Spring Formal ditches him at the dance to make-out with her boyfriend. Lastly, Amy and Colin (Mike Erwin) have a huge fight when she chooses to console Ephram against Colin's wishes.

Resentful at being forced to accompany Andy and Irv to a remote lake cabin, Ephram takes a small boat out alone and his inexperience leads to a serious accident and a night of terror for Andy. Meanwhile, Colin and his parents must decide whether to allow Dr. Brown to perform a second dangerous surgery; and Nina confronts her husband Carl after she accidentally discovers he is having an affair.

As the day of Colin's (guest star Mike Erwin) surgery approaches and emotions run high, Andy takes Ephram and Delia on a road trip to his old medical school to consult with his mentor, Dr. Donald Douglas (guest star Philip Baker Hall). Back in Everwood, Colin kidnaps Amy and Bright in the middle of the night to surprise them with a special day of memories and hopes for the future.