Dan and Jackie take a road trip to a hardware wholesaler in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Darlene heads out of town and leaves behind a plethora of to-do notes for Becky and Ben.
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.