As summer winds to a close, Cory and Eric are on the last legs of their road trip. Cory is excited to get home to see family and friends but Eric doubts that there's anything waiting for him back in Philadelphia. After prolonging the trip for as long as possible, Eric admits he isn't going back home because he couldn't get into college.
Topanga takes drastic measures to prove to Cory that looks aren't important. But when Topanga gets a stunning makeover, Cory starts to feel even more self-conscious.
Alan quits his job at the grocery store without discussing it with Amy. In retaliation, Amy promises to make a drastic decision without consulting the rest of the family either. Nervous about the turn of events, Cory has Shawn give him tips on being poor.
At long last, Shawn's mother Virna has returned to town. She refuses to go home for good until Chet proves that he wants to be a real family again. Cory learns to appreciate loved ones when a beloved lunch lady unexpectedly passes away.
Eric starts dating a highly optimistic musician but her constant perkiness starts to annoy him. After Eric dumps her, he finds himself the topic of a scathing hit song on the radio. Meanwhile, Topanga does not like Cory's habit of being pals with kids instead of parenting them.
Cory walks in on Shawn to find that he has a girl staying at his trailer. When Shawn needs Cory to allow Claire to stay at his house, he is forced to tell Cory that Claire's father beats her.
When Shawn is dumped by Jennifer, Cory begins bad mouthing her. When Jennifer finds out about what Cory has been saying, she takes Shawn back on the condition that he end his relationship with Cory.
Cory gets a job at a restaurant controlled by the Mafia; when Shawn tells him who owns the restaurant Cory quits. Shawn takes Cory's job to earn money for Christmas.
Cory can't wait to break in his new driver's license by going on a road trip with his friends. Cory's plans hit a speed bump when Alan has a tough time letting his son grow up.
Eric sees Shawn kiss Topanga on the cheek at Chubbie's. He relates the upsetting news to Cory and Shawn swears the kiss was innocent. Cory is still angry but when he finds out that Topanga is moving to Pittsburgh, he realizes he had bigger problems than he thought.
Cory is despondent without Topanga. One rainy evening, Topanga shows up on Cory's doorstep. She ran away from home and wants to convince her parents to let her live with an aunt in town. Cory and Topanga must convince Cory's parents and Topanga's aunt that they are truly in love.
When Eric discovers his girlfriend Kelly has a son, he decides he is ready to have an adult relationship. However, he is not as prepared for adult responsibility as he thought. Meanwhile, Cory, Topanga, and Shawn study for the SATs.
The educational game show High School Quiz is suddenly popular once again when Cory, Shawn, and Topanga get involved with the show. The questions are intentionally dumbed down to accommodate the three guests and Mr. Feeny is dismayed at the sacrificing of education for entertainment.
After getting fired from Alan's store, Eric gets a job as a security guard. Mr. Feeny becomes concerned that Eric is wasting his potential and encourages Eric to buckle down and re-take the SATs. Cory and Topanga try to convince Shawn to take an SAT prep course.
Eric passes up an interview at Pennbrook in favor of visiting Beach State. Cory and Topanga want to go with him but Topanga's aunt refuses to let her be alone with Cory for a weekend. Cory, Shawn, and Eric go to the college visit alone and Eric realizes he has a difficult decision to make about the future. When Cory discovers that Topanga had a different reason for not accompanying him on the visit, Cory has a tough decision to make as well.