Joan buys an expensive new kitchen range for their new house but her fiancé, Aaron gets upset that she spent money without discussing it with him. Later, after Joan and Aaron stop arguing, he receives news that his National Guard unit is being called to Iraq. Meanwhile, Lynn is enjoying her newfound success with her music career and begins to flaunt it.
In order to prevent Aaron from going to Iraq, Joan kidnaps him and takes him to Mexico. In Mexico, Aaron explains to Joan that he cannot run away from the war and suggests they get married before he leaves. Meanwhile, Maya finds marijuana hidden in the house and thinks its Jabari's. Lynn gets a manager, but feels she cannot celebrate because of Joan and Aaron's situation.
Lynn meets Xander, a cute student at UCLA, who asks her to perform at a rally raising awareness to save the environment. But when Lynn's manager gets her a gig at the House of Blues for the same day, she must decide where she will perform. Meanwhile, Maya gets upset when she hears Jabari use the "b" word, and Joan enlists William's help when she hears strange noises coming from her crawlspace.
Maya tries to avoid calls from her publisher when she experiences writers block and is unable to complete her third book. Later, Maya learns that her pregnancy is at risk and the doctors instruct her to stay off her feet as much as possible, but she doesn't listen. Meanwhile, Joan runs into problems renting her apartment.
When Maya accuses Darnell of blaming her for the miscarriage, Joan and Lynn are worried that Maya is in denial and not allowing herself to grieve. Meanwhile, Monica and William prepare for their first dinner party, and Joan talks Lynn into opening her first bank account.
Joan is convinced that Maya is not coping with the recent loss of her baby, and decides a little retail therapy will help her recover. While shopping Maya finds out it is really Joan who needs the therapy when she has a breakdown about Aaron being away in Iraq. Later, when Monica tells William that she is pregnant, his response is less than she desired.
At a gathering to celebrate William and Monica's pregnancy, Maya makes a joke that the baby is hers. Worried that Maya is having trouble dealing with the loss of their baby, Darnell confronts Maya and learns that she has been taking pills to help her cope.
Lynn calls Joan, Maya and William old after realizing they never go out any more. They decide to prove Lynn wrong by joining her for a night on the town at a hot new club. Lynn runs into her recent fling Xander, who is still upset that she bailed on performing at a rally he organized. Meanwhile, Joan, Maya and William try to fit in with the young crowd, but become exhausted while trying to keep up.
When William begins to feel that he is not respected at work, he considers leaving the firm, and Monica becomes concerned that he won't be able to support her and their new baby. Meanwhile, Maya is approached by a neighbor to write a column for the neighborhood newsletter, and Joan gets offended when Lynn doesn't like her housewarming gift.
Joan joins a support group for people who have relatives serving in Iraq, but is upset when she finds out they are not planning a holiday party due to financial restraints.
Maya and Darnell romanticize the idea of adopting until they attend a neighborhood group for people who have adopted children and are offered a baby girl to adopt. Lynn reminds them that adopting is a big decision and encourages them to think about it for awhile.
Lynn gets upset when she learns that her record label is pushing back the release of her album to promote another artist, Chrisette Michele. When Lynn confronts the record label, they tell her they are concerned about how to market her because they feel she is not "black" enough.
Joan goes to the school where Aaron used to teach in order to read a letter he sent to his former students. However, when Joan arrives, the students give her a hard time so Maya decides to use her street smarts to help Joan get through to the students. Meanwhile, Lynn turns in sub-par songs for her new record in an attempt to get out of her record contract and William tries to teach Jabari how to drive.