Things are finally growing smoothly on the Finn Family Farm. With the help of caretakers Joe and Alice Wong and farmer Samuel Brown, Charlotte Finn is starting to feel at home at the Santa Barbara County produce farm she inherited. But, all is not strawberries and cream: A blight is destroying young berry plants. Worse, another mysterious death is shaking Little Acorn. The victim is grizzled, cantankerous Linc Pierce, the only farmer in Little Acorn...

When Bill returns from Africa bearing gifts, Cissy presents him with a hand-knitted tie. Buffy and Jody also want to give Bill a gift, and end up purchasing a horse for him from a retiring carriage driver.

Bill decides to send Cissy to a private girls' school in Connecticut, and even though she would prefer to attend high school locally, she reluctantly agrees to go, thinking Bill wants to get her out of the way.

An acquaintance of Bill's hires Mr. French to appear in an ad for marmalade that her advertising company is promoting.

Bill Davis is ambivalent about taking on the responsibility of raising his niece Buffy after the death of his brother. After suggesting she attend boarding school in Switzerland, she runs away. Giles French, the Davis butler, brings her back.

The vice principal and a child psychologist are concerned that Buffy and Jody only spend time with each other instead of playing with the other children, and state that it would be better for them to spend less time together.

Jody, Buffy's twin brother, and Cissy arrive while Bill is away. When he returns, he must make a decision as to what to do that would be best for the children.

When Bill gets Cissy her own phone and arranges for an interior decorator to redo Cissy's and Buffy's bedroom, Buffy becomes withdrawn as the changes appear to separate the room and, as a result, she fears Cissy is separating from her.

Cissy's school is having a mother / daughter dinner. This makes Cissy miss her mother more.