Karen's brother, Joe Cooper gets a job as a visiting professor at USC and moves in with them. Rusty, an old boyfriend of Val's comes to town and abandons his daughter Cricket at the Ewings. Upset at being abandoned, Cricket lies, steals and accidentally hurts Olivia. Val reluctantly takes Cricket to a shelter, but reconsiders and brings her back home. Gary finally locates Rusty, and Val confronts him, and he decides to come back for Cricket.

Karen hears that the case against Frank and Roy has been dropped due to a technicality. Furious, she barges into the Federal Prosecutor's office, who happens to be Marion Patrick McKenzie. 'Mac' gives Karen info on the case, and kisses her. Karen fires Gary, and hires Wayne, unaware that he has a scrapbook about Sid's death. Val has been living at a motel, but decides to stay with Rusty and Cricket on their ranch. Gary, now living with Abby, goes there to try to win Val back. Rusty beats him up. Abby's furious that Gary went to see Val. Val returns home and kicks Gary out. Gary goes back to Abby. Abby has been sending JR every other chapter of Val's book.