When Joel receives a "Dear John" letter from Elaine, he slowly begins to fall apart. Attempting to hide his misery from the all- knowing townspeople, he looks to Chris for help in "jumping back into the pond." But after a double date with two Ivy League coeds fails, Joel commits himself to bed and wallows in his misery. A worried Ed visits Joel and listens to him reminisce about his relationship with Elaine. When Joel reveals that he can't get over his heartbreak unless he has some kind of closure, Ed vows to help, once Joel explains what closure is. Ed convinces Holling and Maggie to help him recreate a scenario at Joel and Elaine's favorite sidewalk cafe, with Maggie acting as Elaine, to give Joel the opportunity to say all the things he wanted to say to her. Meanwhile, Holling buys a satellite dish for Shelly who "wants to see the world" and unknowingly creates a monster. Watching every obscure channel she can find, Shelly neglects Holling, her job, and sleep while she remains hypnotized in front of the TV screen. Finally, she confesses her obsession to Chris, the closest thing Cicely has to a priest, and seeks forgiveness.

After a frightening apocalyptic dream, Ed becomes fixated on the world's unfortunate deterioration and eventual destruction. He searches for a way to alert everyone to the importance of being environmentally conscious. Cicely's “bubble man” Mike Monroe (guest star Anthony Edwards), is sympathetic to the problem and he and Ed determine a way they can improve life on earth for future generations. While repairing a water pipe, Maggie uncovers ancient Indian artifacts. As soon as Maurice learns of the find, he organizes an excavation team to search for more. The discovery of a few traditionally feminine items, such as sewing and cooking supplies, causes Maggie to realize that throughout history women have been treated as the lesser, weaker sex. Inspired to do her part to change society's view of women, Maggie halts the search and reburies the relics so men cannot ruin them. A twelve-year-old delinquent, Brad Young (guest star Edon Gross), escapes from a nearby camp and hitches a ride on a logging truck only to find himself in Cicely. The instant he lays eyes on Shelly, he is in love, proclaiming she is a “babe and a half.” Chris, being a delinquent child at one time himself, befriends the boy and gives him advice about life on the run.

When Marilyn comes to Manonash for a potlatch, she silently notices the changes that have occurred in Joel, from his manner of dress to his ability to adapt to a remote and primitive lifestyle. Meanwhile, Joel feels it necessary to convince Marilyn that he's a changed man and reverts back to old behaviors, talking away as Marilyn sits as the "queen of silence." She feels he has not changed whatsoever until she sees the progress he is making through a wooden bowl he carved with painstaking detail and patience. Marilyn touches him - by the compliment of a gift of babiches she made with goose feathers "to help him go lightly through life." Ed is overwhelmed and awed by the scope of his charge when Maurice asks him to house sit while he is away on a hunting trip. Ed is reserved when first left alone in the expansive house, but soon adjusts and begins to enjoy the luxurious atmosphere. Continuing Maurice's policy of "mi casa su casa," Ed entertains guests the entire time, raiding Maurice's kitchen and wine cellar and ordering extravagant flowers for a dinner party. With his ego inflated while basking in the party glow, he begins adopting Maurice's ways including wearing his clothes and being bossy and condescending towards his friends. When Maurice returns home unexpectedly early, Ed is humbled as Maurice chastises him for his ridiculous behavior. Shelly and Holling are working with Maggie to find a house to buy so they can move out from above the bar but Holling finds error with every one, no matter how insignificant the problem may be. When Maggie pushes Holling to face facts that he really doesn't want to buy a house, he realizes she's right. Shelly is furious at his selfishness and returns to one of the houses they had been close to buying to see what it would feel like to live there. Surprisingly, she experiences feelings of loneliness and emptiness in the house, and ends up agreeing with Holling to stay in their cozy apartment above the bar.

Joel is offered an all-expense-paid speaking engagement in Russia and invites Maggie to come along as his significant other. Wanting to go native, he arranged to fly a Russian carrier and they ultimately fly on a plane with not so friendly people, are delayed a considerable amount of time making Joel increasingly restless as Maggie and the other passengers sleep. Losing all patience, he maneuvers Maggie into a fight which eventually leads to apologies and an uneasy proposal of marriage. After hours of waiting, just as the flight is about to take off, they make a break for the exit and go home where they decide after all these years they will live together before actually getting married. Meanwhile, Maurice needs an heir to Minnifield, Inc. and offers his young cousin, Maurice Dutton, the opportunity to learn the business. Although young Maurice is awkward, Maurice discovers a ray of hope in his affinity for numbers. As young Maurice is thrown into the business, he becomes flustered and, the next day, expensive mistakes are found. Infuriated by what he thinks are the uncaring actions of a Dutton, Maurice scolds young Maurice in front of everyone and later, verbally belittles him for choosing a career as a gas station attendant. After Eugene has a talk with Maurice that his vision of success leaves no room for family, Maurice warms up toward young Maurice and invites him over for Sunday dinner. With a new-found fascination for electricity, Chris thinks over the possibility of becoming one with it through art while trying not to get killed. After several discouraging attempts, Ed parallels Chris' endeavor with Kevin Costner's baseball field in "Field of Dreams." Consequently, Chris creates an electromobile, a bathtub with a steel roof riding forward toward a homemade magnet, and presents his art to the town who line the street to see the spectacle. While his presentation of poetry and the electromobile baffle some of the people, others are touched by his words leaving a big satisfying grin on Chris' face.