Lottery winner Seamus O'Neil (Fisher Stevens) quits a dull factory job to become a newspaper writer, a la Hemmingway, in Key West. His first story: a heated mayoral campaign.
Flu-stricken and short-staffed, Seamus vows to get the paper out even if it kills him and it might; a mysterious, fiery stranger captivates Jody; Gumbo faces up to the 10th anniversary of his beloved wife's death.
Laurel, the passion of Seamus's life, intends to reclaim him; JoJo wins a "slave" for a day: Chaucy; and Rikki peddles exotic marital aids to island housewives.
Seamus tackles the obituary of an island legend he never met, but whose bequests changes the lives of many including Seams, who's entrusted with the care of the old man's ashes.
Two ne'er-do-well friends for Seamus's youth want to take him to Africa; a gentlemanly navel officer takes Savannah by storm; Chaucy's drinking problem resurfaces.
Seams, JoJo and Rikki scrounge for shelter while their digs are being fumigated; and Savannah is visited by a stern nun from her school days, who's come to ask a favor.
Seamus assumes the duties of fatherhood when an illegal immigrant abandons her newborn; Gumbo's pink-ribbonrd gator takes a pouder; the death of a libidinous admiral compromises Chaucy.
A "moonstruck" dolphin follows Savannah and Seamus home from lobster fishing; JoJo and Hunter strike gold in an underwater treasure hunt; Hector pressures Chaucy to issue a dredging permit.