Dan and Louise take their relationship to the next level and come to appreciate the complexities of aging. Meanwhile, Darlene spends the night in jail and hands off parenting duties to Ben. Mark and a friend work on a class experiment that leaves them both with hickeys, and Becky contemplates marrying Emilio.
The Conners are a working-class family, struggling to get by on a limited household income who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in their home in the drab fictional mid-state exurb of Lanford, Illinois in a way they never have before.