Nathaniel Fisher, owner of the Fisher and Sons Funeral Home, is killed when a municipal bus broadsides his new hearse. Nate returns home from Seattle for the holidays and must deal with the tragedy and the rest of his family; Ruth (who has been having a secret affair with her hairdresser, Hiram), brother David (a closet homosexual seeing a black policeman named Keith), and a sister Claire (a rebel
At the reading of Mr. Fisher's will, Ruth gets cash, stocks and insurance money, Nate and David split the funeral business, forcing Nate to stay in Los Angeles, and Claire gets college tuition, which she considers trading for cash. Ruth breaks up with Hiram during a nature hike; David receives an unexpected visit from his ex-fiancee Jennifer.
The Fishers decide to sell out to Kroehner, but Nate backs down. Claire finds a disturbingly way to pay Gabe back for blabbing to the school about her toe-sucking exploits; she puts a severed foot in his locker. A vengeful Gilardi tells Nate that Kroehner has bought the abandoned house across the street, and plans on turning it into a cheap crematorium. After Nate and Brenda make love in the Kroehner house, it suspiciously catches fire.
Arson investigators start breathing down the family's neck, Nate, David and Ruth wonder if Claire might have had something to do with the fire across the street. Brenda arrives for her first dinner at the Fishers, but fails to make a favorable impression with Ruth. And David gets courage from an unexpected source to end a feud with Keith - and stand up to Gilardi's threat to destroy the Fisher's business.
Keith takes issue with David's desire to replace his father as deacon at the family church. Claire and Ruth attempt to spend some more quality time together, and make a spontaneous visit to their see their cousin. Nate has dinner with Brenda's psychiatrist parents, and has an unsettling first encounter with her brother Billy.
Sparks fly when Claire meets Brenda's brother Billy. Ruth spurns Hiram after running into him at a church; later, she's wooed by Nikolai, the Fishers' Russian florist. While serving church meals to the homeless, David finds himself pursued by pushy divorced parishioner. And an examination of funeral-home receipts leads Nate to uncover some of his father's secrets - including a mysterious room that he bartered in exchange for a funeral.
Ruth takes a job working for Nikolai as a florist. David casts the swing vote in the church search committee's decision to hire a progressive young associate priest. Claire has trouble recognizing the value of algebra at school and in her life. Nate and Brenda plan to spend their first weekend away, but Billy interferes.
With a lull in business at Fisher's, Nate and David decide to rent out a room at the funeral home to make some extra income. Rico is tempted to take on some extra work at Kroehner's. Claire struggles to grasp the lessons of her outreach hike in the mountains. Ruth struggles to reconcile her feelings toward Hiram with her need for excitement. Connor, a longtime Aussie friend of Brenda's, starts to irritate Nate when he crashes at Brenda's place.
Claire and Gabe reunite when Gabe's kid brother dies. David and new boyfriend Kurt explore the disco circuit. To improve Nate's sales skills, Brenda suggests they pose as bereaved relatives at several funeral homes in the area. Ruth finds a weekend camping trip with Hiram to be an eye-opening experience.
Nate and David hire a replacement for Rico; Billy has a gallery exhibit for some recent photos, including one taken of a Nate urinating. David reacquaints with Keith; Ruth dines with Nikolai; Claire frets over Gabe's inconsistent behavior.
David, Nate and Brenda go to Las Vegas to attend a funeral directors conference. Ruth takes a floral-arrangement class and learns to listen to her inner self. Rico returns to Fisher & Sons.
Brenda visits a remorseful Billy in the institution, then gets into an argument with Nate that has some serious repercussions. David is forced to take a stand at church when he and the other deacons are told that Father Jack has been presiding over same-sex marriages.
The homophobic killing of a gay man forces David to confront his own fears about his lifestyle. After an incident with Billy, Nate agrees with Brenda's parents that Billy should be institutionalized. Ruth confides about her love life with fellow florist Robbie. Claire talks with her school counselor about Gabe. David shares a secret about himself with his mother.
