Grace has divorced her abusive husband and is faced with supporting their three children. In the premiere episode, she takes a job at an oil refinery and dates the local druggist. Quentin gets into fights at school.
Quentin's bad moods are puzzling to Grace. Perhaps he needs a male role model. Grace tells Russell that she is not ready to have a new relationship. These serious discussions take place up on the roof.
Grace and Nadine take a night out and flirt with some frat boys, while Russell and Wade try to steal Russell's dog which his ex-wife got as part of the property settlement.
Grace is angry when her paycheck is attached to pay the back taxes of her ex-husband; Russell's ex-wife upsets a date with Grace when she decides to return to him.
The 'nice' guy Grace meets, at the behest of Nadine to attend a 'second time around' meeting, turns out to be Nadine's first husband (of three, she married the second twice. Wade is #4).
Faith asks Grace to talk to Evie, their wild younger sister, but when the three get together, Grace refuses.
Grace and Russell make plans for a double blind date; Libby is harassing baby Patrick.
Watching a talk show on tv, Grace sees her ex-husband brag about how his lawyer got him thousands for an injury and Grace decides to push for child support.
Wade gets fed up with his job at the phone company and takes a new job as the 'in the air, on the air' reporter.
Grace's status at the refinery becomes permanent and she gets a raise, but has to take the night shift and will miss the school play Libby is in playing a pork chop.
When Grace brings her depressed sister, Faith, home for the holidays, she learns that Faith has been having an affair with a married man.
When Great Grandma Kelly leaves her heirloom ring in the keeping of Grace, the Kelly clan blows a fuse.
Grace turns down the advances of a guy, but welcomes a gal who is a 'battered wife' needing help.
Needing her own space, Grace turns to the basement to create a room for herself and get some privacy.
A romantic weekend in the Windy City is blown away when Ryan fails to show up at the airport on time.
Quentin shows his displeasure when Grace invites Ryan to dinner.
Libby is entered in a beauty pageant with a friend. The two mothers don't hit it off very well. Libby sings "Tomorrow".
Quentin is totally out of control and getting into fights at school, so Grace takes him to a child psychologist.
Grace and Ryan have time for themselves when Faith takes the kids to visit their grandparents and the refinery is closed.
It is Mother's Day and mother comes to visit. Faith gives them an earful.
Grace's promotion does not bring her happiness. Quentin runs away to find his dad and the men at work are disgruntled.
Grace's car is on its last legs and she goes shopping for a replacement. A neighbor is irate when she catches Libby kissing her son.
Grace and the kids are set to wait out the big storm and rising flood when her ex arrives.
Grace tries to smooth things over when a new female employee charges Bill with sexual discrimination.
Grace lets Quentin and Libby care for themselves while she goes to work. Her new boss makes it clear that he is only concerned with himself and his retirement.
Grace dates a minor-league ballplayer while Faith wants a major commitment from Russell who backs off.
Jimmy's new girl friend comes to Grace for advice and Grace gives her the bitter truth. Otherwise, Grace has problems with her credit card.
Nadine and Wade have a marital battle with Grace in the middle. Nadine catches Libby shoplifting.
Grace wants to get Nadine back on track, so they take a trip to visit Grace's Aunt Vivian.
Acting somewhat like Abby, Grace tries to reconcile her boss with his estranged pregnant daughter. Meanwhile, Quentin seems embarrassed to go out in public with his mother.
It is a lonesome Thanksgiving when her ex takes the kids to the grandparents for the feast, but Libby escapes and the Kelly clan swoops down on Grace.
An employee is killed and the plant damaged by an explosion which puts Grace in the secretarial pool until the accident is investigated. Nadine and Wade date.
Grace slips on the icy walk at Wade and Nadine's house, then visits a therapist who helps her decide how she feels about their marital dispute.
Grace has to contend with her 'down-in-the-dumps' ex-mother-in-law and an invitation to a Christmas dance with Dougie.
Quentin goes to stay with his father and Grace has a short story published in the local paper.
Grace and Russell attend a real estate seminar with different objectives: Russell wants a profit, Grace needs material for a school assignment.
Grace has an relationship with her masseur, but doesn't like his need to be in control.
Matthew, Grace's first son, who was given up for adoption, contacts Grace and puts her in a quandry. He wants to know who is his father for starters.
The kids get into trouble with neighboring campers when Grace takes them into the woods.
Jimmy's father has chest pains and Jean is a pain of a different kind, when Grace insists he be taken to the hospital.
Grace introduces her first son to her other kids, but it doesn't go well.
Grace plans to go to the opera in St. Louis alone. Meanwhile, Russell visits his dad.
Faith and Grace drive to Memphis for their sister's wedding, with Russell who wants to see Graceland and a stranger who somewhat resembles Elvis keeps in touch with Grace.
Quentin has a fight at school and Grace is angry when she discovers that Quentin used a racial slur that started it.
Grace thinks Matthew's father should meet him, but the feeling is not mutual.
From a dateless state to a flood. All her boyfriends ask her out at the same time.
Grace is ready, but her boyfriend reneges on the grounds he is celibate due to two earlier affairs that went wrong.
Jimmy has gotten his life in order and accepted a new job in Ohio, but the family has mixed reactions.
To Grace's great shock, Nadine asks her to donate an egg so she and Wade can become parents.
Downsizing becomes a problem for Grace as she discovers that her job was not eliminated but usurped by her boss.
While her relationship with Ben is waning, Rick asks her out on a date.
Grace faces a problem as she starts a relationship with Rick before she terminates Ben.
Grace is tired of kids, so she puts on a wig and goes to a bar where she assumes another identity.
Grace demands that a day care center be provided at work when she can't find a suitable sitter.
Grace and Matthew's adoptive mother get in a hassle after Grace bails him out when he is arrested for a college prank.
A disgruntled ex-employee takes the gang hostage at the refinery.
Grace is annoyed by the friendliness of Rick and Jean, whose husband has gone fishing, at the Thanksgiving feast.
Grace and Rick get together, but will it last?
Grace accidently learns something about Emmet and Wade considers running for city council.
The Kelly's Christmas celebration is dampened when Emmet dies suddenly and his 'significant other' appears at the funeral and shocks everyone by announcing that fact.
The title refers to Rick's daughter, Amy, who is rather ill-mannered and not Grace's cup of tea, but controls Rick.
Grace's fear of being dependent causes her to turn down offers of help from her family and friends.
A neighbor's son starts hanging out at Grace's house and she finds he is escaping from a 'perfect' mother. Meanwhile, Wade discovers his name has been engraved on a veterans' memorial.
When the nasty janitor is about to be fired for being HIV+, Grace is reluctant to help him. Rick instructs Quentin on how to behave on his first date.
Grace is just about set to move in with Rick when he loses his job.
The new Afro-American neighbors are coming for dinner.
Nadine has some big news for Grace.
The creative writing teacher and Grace are not tuned to the same frequency and trouble ensues.
Quentin creates the impression at school that he is seriously ill and Grandma Jean has a new beau with an amazing past.
While working for a crisis hot-line, Grace encounters the nasty janitor, Mullens, again and he hasn't improved.
Grace is sent home after a toxic spill at the plant and has an hallucination that her late father comes to talk to her.
Libby has been suffering from stomach pangs and Grace finds out they are from a stress-related ulcer.
Rick, who is under the influence, proposes to Grace who is inclined to accept until she learns of his new job site and Russell is invited to his detested ex-wife's wedding.
When Grace finishes painting the house, the landlord decides it will never look better so it's time to sell it. The house of the recently-deceased neighbor is also for sale, for about half the price. Grace decides to buy it.
Wade inspects Grace's new house and says it's in bad shape. Russell lends her the money to take care of it. Jean also offers to lend the money for the roof and can be considered rent if Grace will let her move in. Grace discovers that Jean has been lying about her full social life, so invites her to move in.
Quentin returns from spending the summer with Jimmy in Ohio. He upset that his father made him return to Grace's and believes it's because Jimmy was tired of being 'daddy'. Grace tries to get Jimmy to repair things by talking to Quentin, but Jimmy has decided to move back to be closer to the kids.
Grace rents out her apartment to Dougie. Libby receives a package from her penpal, who thinks she's older, divorced and has three kids. Sailor Bob takes a trip to meet 'Libby'.
Russell and Grace think everyone's life is more exciting than theirs, so they decide to go on a date together. The refinery gets rid of everyone as employees, but hires them back as 'independent contractors', meaning a slight raise but no benefits. Grace makes plans to go out with the smarmy guy she met while out with Russell, but that's only his bar personality. He's actually well-read, nice, interested in kids, etc.
Mysterious occurrences prompt Grace to suspect her new home is haunted. Also, Grace dates a minister.
Grace and Nadine get an invitation to their twentieth reunion and they recall a trip to see Earth, Wind and Fire and decide to repeat the event. They borrow the pharmacy's delivery van (which is full of drugs), as Grace goes speeding down the highway.
Jimmy wants to turn his life around, so Grace gets him a job at the refinery.
Grace and Nadine accompany Libby to a poetry contest in New York, where they run into Rick who has returned from Alaska.
On Grace's last night in New York, she meets a firefighter who moonlights as a jazz musician.
Grace has to choose between her job at the refinery or continuing her education.
Christmas brings surprise for Grace about Quentin.
Matthew, Grace's first born that she gave up for adoption, is engaged to an older woman.
Grace rents her garage apartment to a classmate who also moonlights as a stripper to pay for her classes.
Wade and his partner arrest someone close to Grace.
Grace becomes addicted to pain pills. Russell accuses his friends of being disloyal when they shop at the new mall instead of his pharmacy.
Jimmy goes against Grace's wishes when he buys Quentin a car. Grace runs into an old boyfriend who wants to renew their relationship.
Grace brings Rob home to meet her kids just as Nadine announces that the baby's on its way.
Jean gets invited to Las Vegas to view a timeshare and Grace joins her. While there, Grace spends time with an older man and Jean gets jealous.
Jimmy offers to move into the garage apartment.
Grace is spending too much time focusing on herself. Quentin fires a gun at a suspected intruder.
Sam's dad has a crush on Grace.
Grace graduates college and is asked to give the commencement speech.
Jimmy begins to get jealous of Rob's relationship with the kids. Grace has a birthday.
Grace gets a new job at an advertising company and shockingly, her misery brings something new and improved.
Grace worries about how her new job is affecting the children at home.
Grace starts a new job at the bridge construction site. Nadine divorcing Wade.
Grace queries Quentin about his teenage activities and panics when Russell reveals that Quentin bought condoms at the pharmacy.
Grace's mother visits for Christmas and tries to make Libby a proper young woman.
Jean is upset, complaining that the new bridge will cut off Emmet's (grave) view of the river, so Grace suggests that she move the grave site. Jimmy and Quentin attempt to do that and Russell takes Dot to the gambling boat, but won't gamble.
During a tornado, a sack of money ends up at Grace's house. When she returns it to the owner, $20k is missing, and everyone accuses Grace of stealing it.
Grace and DC work out a plan to get a building construction bid which doesn't interest the developer who is looking for a more personal deal. Russell and Dot go on another date where Russell reveals his fantasy while hypnotized.
Libby and her class protest the bridge construction to save the town's historic tree causing the project to be halted until a town meeting vote. Russell puts an ice cream parlor in the pharmacy.
The government doesn't send a payment to the construction company causing paychecks to be held and Grace with no money. Wade stakes out the pharmacy to catch a burglar.
After meeting a salesman at a motel, rumors spread through town about Grace and DC having an affair. After a flippant remark made by Grace turns out to be true, all kinds of rumors about everyone in town are coming out.
Wade's old pal visits and annoys Grace which ends up with kissing. Jean goes on a date which makes Floyd jealous.
Grace (who has a fear of heights) has to rescue a coworker who's stranded up on a construction beam. Quentin tries to fix a car engine with some "help" from his friends.
Grace is upset with Quentin when she finds out his new girlfriend and her parents lavish him with gifts. Russell has a chance to be with an attractive divorcee.
Bev, the mother of Quentin's girlfriend, leaves her husband and moves in with Grace and the kids.