Ava Gregory, a California fashion designer finds her burgeoning career and comfortable home life shattered by the accidental deaths of her sister and brother-in-law in Kansas. Now she'll have to balance a new life taking care of their three children, who haved moved into her house, while trying to help the kids adjust to their new surroundings.
Ava finds things complicated when the new man she's smitten with is the father of a boy Nikki likes. Meanwhile, Bradin runs into some difficulties while trying to keep Erika away from a suspicious guy.
A worried Ava tries to decide how to deal with Bradin when he falls for a wealthy girl with a wild lifestyle and finds marijuana in his pocket. Meanwhile, Johnny's real estate office demands leave him with little time for Derrick's baseball team.
An annual luau reopens the wounds of old relationships and offers the blossoming of newer ones, as Ava discovers the secret reason that made Johnny break up with her years earlier, while Nikki pretends to be interested in Cameron to keep his old girlfriend from coming back to him. Meanwhile, Susannah tries to keep her ex-boyfriend at bay by faking an interest in Jay.
Jay is crushed that an old injury has prevented him from competing in a local surfing competition, but Erika is determined to help him participate. Meanwhile, Susannah and Johnny are urged by a concerned Ava to help her whip the household mess into order.
Derrick's friend stumbles upon a naked picture of Ava, and when he then takes it home, Ava has a little explaining to do. Bradin asks Johnny and Jay about whether he should sleep with Sarah, but soon finds Sarah in the company of another guy. Meanwhile, Nikki's intense behavior begins to alienate Cameron.
Ava's fears about Bradin's relationship with Sarah begin to increase, but although Bradin is also having some fears himself about just how wild Sarah can be, he's not sure if he has the nerve to break up with her. Meanwhile, Derrick's camping excursion with Susannah and Johnny leads to a misunderstanding about the intentions of an embrace between the two adults.
Ava and Nikki are split on the idea of whether Nikki should skip her last year of junior high and go straight into high school, with Nikki against the idea and Ava encouraging it. Sarah invites Bradin to come away with her to Mexico, but he uncovers information that reveals she's ditching a new boarding school. Meanwhile, Erika receives a surprise visit from her estranged mother, who wishes for her to return home and dump Jay.
Ava and Johnny chaperone Derrick on a date at the movies with Martha, but the two end up having too good a time together during the outing. Meanwhile, Susannah contemplates an offer to move to Paris and work for a top-notch designer, effectively leaving the business with Ava, while Jay asks Erika to move in with him.
When Ava goes out on a date with Nikki's principal, Dr O'Keefe, the sight of them having fun makes Johnny realize just how real his feelings for Ava are. Meanwhile, Bradin wants to be more than just friends with Callie, but doesn't know how to proceed when Sarah comes back to town and into his life.
Ava feels the missing presence of Susannah in both her professional and private life. Jay teams up with Bradin in an effort to secure a spot on the surf team.
Ava tries to weigh her feelings for Simon and Johnny. Bradin finds himself dumbfounded by the ebb and flow of Callie towards him. Erika begins to redecorate causing Jay to question if letting her move in was the right thing to do. Nikki continues to feel the loss of her parents.