Joan Clayton, a successful attorney, prepares to celebrate her 29th birthday (although she claims to be 26 to make her achievements seem more impressive).
After Joan reveals that she hasn't had sex in a year, her friends push her to go for a one-night stand. Joan is reluctant because she generally doesn't sleep with anyone until she has been in a relationship for three months, but tries to make a move on Davis Hamilton, a handsome man who owns the restaurant the girls frequent.
Toni and Maya get into another argument before an evening out, in part because Toni refuses to believe that Maya can get the girls into an exclusive club.
Joan, Toni and Lynn set up dates with men they met over the Internet. Lynn's guy never shows up (his parole was denied), while Toni rejects hers because his skin is too dark.
Joan grows tired of the clingy Marcus and plans to break up with him, but only winds up complicating the situation by having "pity sex" with him. The girls try to help her out by bombarding Marcus with negative facts about Joan in the hopes that he will dump her. Meanwhile, Maya gets involved in a get-rich-quick scheme.
Joan plans an elaborate scheme to get revenge on William for the latest in a series of Halloween pranks. Toni is put off when her date asks her to engage in a threesome--with a stuffed animal.
Joan sees Maya's husband, Darnell, in a possibly compromising situation with another woman. Her gut tells her that something may be going on, but she agonizes over whether to share this information with Maya. Meanwhile, Toni begins dating a white city councilman who is also running for mayor. He becomes fascinated with her hair after she reveals that she wears a weave.
Joan turns to her friends for support when she fears that she might be pregnant. When a test turns out positive, she tries to cope with her fears about impending motherhood. Meanwhile, Lynn recalls memories of her "white" childhood after receiving a box of belongings from her mother.
Joan finds herself alone on Thanksgiving after everyone makes other plans for the holiday. After dining at 847, she meets Davis's friend Preston Hall, a handsome and highly successful attorney. Joan invites him back to her place for a home-cooked meal before he has to leave on the red-eye, but her friends suddenly begin appearing and she can't seem to get them to leave.
Maya and Darnell plan to renew their wedding vows, and Joan agrees to hold the event at her house. However, Joan constantly disagrees with Maya's choices and tries to mold the event into her own dream wedding.
Joan begins dating a client, Frank Anderson. Everything seems to be going well until a crazed woman shows up at the office looking for Joan. She tells Maya and Lynn that she trailed her husband to Joan's house.
The girls and William make lists of the qualities they want in their ideal partners. When everyone goes to an art gallery, Joan is amazed to find a man who meets all of her qualifications, but her friends later warn her that she may have frightened him with her aggressiveness.
Joan grows impatient with Sean, who refuses to kiss or touch her. After discussing a number of possible explanations with her friends, she finally pushes Sean for the reason behind his cold behavior. Joan is taken aback when he confesses to being a sex addict. Meanwhile, Toni annoys Greg with her refusal to make a commitment to him; and Yvonne angers William by sharing a few too many intimate details about their love life with Maya.
Joan is upset when Sean must go out of town for Valentine's Day. Her frustration grows when she is unable to get in touch with him. Davis, who has recently reunited with his fiancée, stuns Joan by kissing her and offering to end his relationship to be with her.
Joan decides to waive her "three-month rule" and sleep with Sean, but finds that the results are extremely disappointing. She seeks her friends' advice on how to help Sean improve his performance. Maya, with help from Toni, seeks medical attention after she and Darnell have difficulty conceiving a second child. William keeps having the misfortune of approaching every time Maya is discussing her gynecological situation with one of her friends.
Joan becomes fed up with the "boys' club" mentality at work, as her opinions are ignored and she is passed over for important cases. When she believes that William has deliberately stolen her idea, she blows up at him in front of everyone, leading to a rift between them. Meanwhile, Maya discovers that Toni and Lynn's yoga instructor is a little too "hands-on" in his approach toward his students.
After discovering that Lynn has applied for yet another grad school program, Joan and Toni determine that they must end their financial support and force her to get a job and go out into the real world.
Maya checks into the hospital to undergo surgery for the removal of a fibroid tumor. Joan's friends (especially Lynn) question her priorities when she decides to leave Maya's bedside to attend an important business dinner with Sean. Toni continues to clash with Greg over his lack of income. At the hospital, she takes an immediate interest in Maya's doctor, the wealthy and handsome Dr. Clay Spencer.
Sean grows uncomfortable with Joan's relationship with Davis, as he feels that she flirts with him too much. After she confesses that they once shared a kiss, Sean upsets Joan by ordering her to stay away from Davis and 847 for good. Meanwhile, Toni angers Greg by displaying some of his paintings at the restaurant; and Darnell becomes impatient when Maya is reluctant to resume sexual relations with him after her surgery.
Toni cheats on Greg with Clay and winds up contracting chylamdia. Joan frets about the fact that Sean has yet to tell her that he loves her, especially after he reveals that he has been offered a six-month job in New York. She seeks her friends' advice on how to coax a love declaration from him. Meanwhile, Maya feels threatened by the temp who filled in as Joan's assistant during her absence.
After Toni accepts Clay's marriage proposal, a disapproving Joan advises her to look into her heart, as she believes that Greg is the one she really loves.
Toni remains in a state of despair over her split with Greg, while a guilt-ridden Joan continues to keep her involvement in the break-up a secret. She confesses to Greg, who still wants nothing to do with Toni.