When Marge sees Bart and Milhouse incited to violence after watching an episode of South Park, she tries to turn them onto some good television on the PAX television network. They run out of the room and find themselves outside and bored. After tying a thread to a housefly, that lands itself inside of the Flanders home, Bart and Milhouse find themselves inside the home, unsupervised. They cause some damage and find Ned's collection of Beatles memorabilia. They drink from cans of a 40-year-old novelty beverage and start to get sick. Ned and the boys return to their home to find the house "slightly askew," and they flee to their panic room and call the police. The police arrive and capture the boys and Bart pleads that his parents not be called. The parents are called and as part of Bart's punishment he is sentenced to spending all his time under the supervision of a parent. He is also no longer allowed to play with Milhouse, who Marge believes incites Bart into his bad behavior. Bart joins the "Pre-Teen Braves" and Homer becomes the tribe leader. When Homer fails in his leadership skills, Marge takes over. Marge takes the boys on a nature walk and they meet a Native American who shows them a field that is in need of restoration. The "Pre-Teen Braves" return to the field to begin their clean-up effort, only to discover that the "Calvary Kids" that Milhouse and his father are a members of have already done the job. The two groups go to war and try to outdo each other in doing good. When the opportunity to become batboys at an Isotopes game is on the line, the two sides redouble their efforts for their candy sales. The "Pre-Teen Braves" lace the "Calvary Kids" candy bars with laxatives and believe they are going to win. Only the senior citizens, in a need of relief from constipation, buy the "Calvary Kids" a win. At the Isotopes game, the "Calvary Kids" are delayed from arriving and the "Pre-Teen Braves" take their place singing their version of the national anthem. The crowd becomes angered by the version of the anthem that is being sung and when the real "Calvary Kids" arrive, a fight breaks out between everyone in the crowd. When the image of Marge crying is shown on the Jumbotron, the fighting ends and the sweet soothing hymn of the national anthem of Canada is sung by all present. In the end, Bart and Milhouse sum it up by saying that they've learned that: "War is not the answer--except to all of America's problems."

After Moe inadvertently saves Maggie's life, the two begin to develop a bond, to the annoyance of Homer and Marge.

Kahn is appalled when his visiting mother becomes a maid for the Hills. It gets even worse when she also goes to work for Bill, and they strike up a romance. When Kahn decides to take matters into his own hands, he breaks the two love birds up, sending Laoma back home, and out of Bill's life.

Hank is enthusiastic about Bobby's new hobby of cards, envisioning his son as an aspiring poker shark. But they're really tarot cards, and Bobby's fortune-telling brings him to a coven led by a nerdy thirty-something who urges him to focus his energies on developing otherworldly powers and defying his father.

The investigation into the murder of a crooked cop leads to a preening veterinarian and his friend, an obsessive doctor whose ex-girlfriends have all been infected with a rare disease.

Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a former nurse and discover a possible anthrax terrorist plot. The case takes a turn for the worse when Goren is blamed for driving a suspect to commit suicide. Now disgraced, Goren learns that a cunning adversary from his past may be involved.

Two weeks have passed since Lisa's disappearance and now even Ruth is resigned to the worst. "I think Lisa's dead", she quietly says to David, "I hate to say it, but I do". When David allows that he shares her opinion, Ruth asks, "Why should something like that happen to her? Why is life like that-
But life has also been good to Ruth recently. She has begun a romance with George Sibley, and the two of them have become so close that Ruth throws caution to the wind and suggests they marry. "I don't mind telling you, I'm lonely", she confesses one day while they're shopping for a power drill. George thinks marriage is a good idea, even though he's been divorced four times and widowed twice. Upon reconsideration, Ruth tells George she'd prefer proceeding more slowly. George, amenable, replies, "I'm here if you want me".
David also faces a serious relationship decision - whether to break up with Keith. Still deeply hurt by Keith's actions in San Diego, David lays out his position: "This is the difference between you and me, Keith. I want you on my side. I need you on my side. And it's the one thing that I never, ever have". Later, he goes out with Patrick after chorus practice and ends up sleeping with him. Eventually, David's decision is made: he informs Keith that he's moving out.
Claire makes a difficult choice as well: to terminate her pregnancy. She had planned to go for the procedure alone, until informed by a worker at the clinic that she would need someone to accompany her. When Claire runs into Brenda at the funeral home - Brenda had come to see Nate, who angrily sent her away - she impulsively seeks her assistance. "Do you think you could give me a ride- Claire asks, "I have to get an abortion". Brenda doesn't hesitate; she takes Claire to the clinic and then to her apartment to recuperate.
After Brenda's kindness towards her, Claire suggests to Nate that he shouldn't be so tough on his former fiancee. But Nate is too consumed by his fears for Lisa to think about anything - or anyone - else. He finds himself envisioning all the possible scenarios for Lisa's disappearance, from running off with a lover to drowning. hen Fisher & Diaz undertakes the funeral of Carl Williman, a man executed for murdering several women, Nate imagines Lisa encountering him. No longer in full control of himself, Nate falls back into old behaviors; he has sex with Williman's daughter, a young woman as desperate to forget her troubles as he is. Ultimately, however, Nate can't escape his situation. In a dream, he finds Lisa on the beach and, facing her, voices what may be his deepest fear: "I feel like I had this once-in-a-lifetime chance and I fucked it up".

Bubbles is dissapointed when he's not able to get RUSH tickets and see his favorite preformer Alex Lifeson. This prompts Ricky to pay Mr Lifeson a visit to convince him to play a private concert.

Stockwell's crackdown on Liberty Avenue's sex-related businesses continues with the closing of all bathhouses and the back room at Babylon. Justin responds by defacing Stockwell campaign posters, painting a Hitler moustache on the mayoral candidate's face and adding the slogan "Heil to the Chief". As Justin prepares his own poster with Stockwell sporting a clown nose and labeled "Laughing Stock", Brian tells him to stop, but Justin refuses. Later Brian capitulates and helps Justin paste the posters up on Liberty Avenue.