Carly, Jack and the kids are going to her parents' beach house for Thanksgiving in a rented moving truck, since they neglected to make a reservation for a rental car. When they get there they find Carly's mother Kate along with her father Ben--both of whom divorced and married other people years ago. They tell them that they still love their current spouses, but the two of them got back together at Carly's wedding. They all try to have a ""traditional"" Thanksgiving dinner, but Carly is so mad at her folks that she takes Jack and storms off in the truck--temporarily forgetting that they brought the children with them.

Jack is concerned about Will's poor study habits and thinks Carly is too easy on him and doesn't push him to reach his potential. Although she resists the idea, she finally agrees and tells Will that if he doesn't make a ""B"" on Jack's test, he won't be able to go on a school trip to Washington, D.C. Feeling the pressure, Will cheats on the test. Jack and Carly are ecstatic when Will gets an ""A"", but when they let Will know that now they will expect that kind of grade from him more often, he admits that he cheated. This creates a dilemma for Carly and Jack, because keeping Will from going to Washington also means they won't be able to go on their ""second honeymoon"" ski trip to Vermont.

Stephanie shows up, unannounced as usual, and asks for the return of a painting that Jack has from their married days. While he and Carly are searching for it in the storeroom, they find something Jack had forgotten about--a receipt for a 1979 sperm bank deposit, which can't be destroyed without Stephanie's permission. They bring the painting by her apartment and tell her about the deposit, but Steph says she will have to think about it first before signing a consent form. Later, as a guest on ""Adam Smith's Money World,"" Stephanie drops a bombshell, saying she'll be having her ex-husband's baby. It takes some convincing from Jack and Carly, but after reminding Steph how miserable she was during her previous pregnancy, she relents. But now Steph's housekeeper Polly decides she wants to become a mother. Also, Nicole tests the patience and courage of Jack and Grace as she learns to drive.