The Freemans--a working-class Catholic family with five kids--are mourning the recent loss of matriarch Liz's alcoholic father and dealing with oldest son Nick's impending departure from the nest. But far more foreboding things may be in store when a mysterious woman pays an unwelcome visit to the funeral.
Three weeks after her father's funeral, Liz, plagued by fear of Eva Morrigan, begins lashing out at her family. She seeks comfort from her priest, Father McGinley, who insists that her worries are delusional.
Trish, the Freemans' younger daughter, is smitten with Malachy, a boy from school. Meanwhile, Liz, knowing that Eva is back in town, grows increasingly paranoid. Little does she know, Eva inches closer to her family each day.
Eva continues meddling with the Freemans, this time targeting Nick by buying his used car, a sale he desperately needs to finance moving in with his girlfriend, Debbie. Noticing Eva loitering outside her house, Liz decides to move the family to another town, much to their dismay.
On the eve of Nick's departure, the Freemans spend one last night together under the same roof. As the move is underway, Eva exploits Liz and Nick's absence to approach Sue, who's alone at home.
Liz prepares to reveal Eva's true identity to the family as the impending move draws closer. Older daughter Sue feels devastated, as she can't bear to be away from her new fiancé. Nick's crush on Eva reaches a boiling point.
Liz confronts Eva about her romantic evening with Nick. Later, at Trish's 15th birthday party, an ominous e-card arrives in Anthony's inbox, its upsetting implications creating suspicion among the partygoers.
The long-kept secret about Sue, Nick, and Trish is at last revealed to the whole family, causing feelings of resentment and betrayal. Now that the truth is out, how will Liz and Jack reveal that the woman behind it all is someone their children have already met?
Eva finally has the moment she's forever fantasized about--revealing herself to the three biological children she's been invisible to for so long. But how they each react creates a vast rift within the Freeman family.
Jack is increasingly cagey about the identity of Eva's husband, leading John Paul and Anthony to launch their own covert investigation into the matter. Trish, now living full-time with Eva, is enjoying the gifts her glamorous new mother lavishes upon her.
The bombshell of Jack's bigamy robs the Freeman children of their solid foundation. John Paul reacts to the news by confronting the priest who covered for his father, while the other siblings take more drastic measures to channel their pain.
Sue, reeling from Jamie's rejection, resorts to a dramatic act in the hopes of being taken more seriously. In Jack's absence, the battle between Eva and Liz for the children's hearts rages on.
Still keeping his distance from his family, Jack grapples with taking responsibility for the havoc his actions have wrought. At the Freeman household, a game of truth or dare turns toxic as Trish needles her older siblings about their significant others and inadvertently unearths an ugly truth.
Fresh off pledging his commitment to Eva and his plan to move in with her, Jack returns to Liz and proposes they renew their vows. The family is torn about whether to trust Jack, and Eva sets her sights on manipulating Sue and winning her favor.
Jack secretly rekindles an old romance, while Trish pursues a new one--with her high school English teacher. As the increasingly fragile Sue feels the pressure of wedding planning, she begins to lash out at Liz and accuses her of neglectfulness.
Sue finally reveals to Liz that she's been meeting with Eva secretly. But it's not Liz's jealousy she'll have to worry about--it's Trish's. Jack reconsiders his loyalties after he learns Eva has planted evidence of their affair for Liz to find.
With their parents away, John Paul and Anthony play. Elsewhere, the church becomes the stage for a highly charged confrontation between Liz, Jack, and Father McGinley. Will Jack be able to convince Liz of his love, or will this be the last time he wrongs her?
Despite Jack's reputation, Eva takes him in when Liz kicks him out for good. When the teacher Trish has been seeing breaks off their relationship, she threatens to get him fired by exposing their affair.
Trish takes a stand against going to school, but Eva breaks through to her. Debbie grows suspicious of Nick's meddling in Eva and Jack's affairs, while Liz wrestles with regret and self-doubt as her disgraced husband carries on with his second wife across the street.
After spending a passionate night with Father McGinley, Liz feels ashamed of their tryst. She burns a bridge by expressing her reservations to Sue about her fiancé. Meanwhile, Debbie gets close to Nick's dark secret--perhaps closer than she'd like.
Debbie leaves Nick after he divulges his attraction to Eva, who must now sort things out between them. John Paul visits the church to seek advice from Father McGinley, but finds himself consoling the drunk priest and learning something he shouldn't in the process.
Sue implores Liz to put on a good show and gather the family round for her fiancee's parents, who are dropping by for dinner on less than a day's notice. Given the fractured state of the Freemans, it should be a lively feast.
Trish's melodramatics reach a new low, and no one escapes from her wrath unscathed. The incident leads to a fight between Eva and Liz and destroys any pretense of friendliness between them.
After her fight with Eva and the fallout with Trish, Liz is paralyzed by depression and loneliness, afraid of losing everything. Now John Paul and Anthony, the only remaining children still loyal to Liz, must try and resist Eva's temptation.
Jamie and Sue have their bachelor and bachelorette parties, but what should be a night of rowdy celebration turns out to be relatively dull. Behind the scenes, however, the ultimate betrayal takes place.
Liz sits at home, nine months pregnant, and reflects on Jamie and Sue's wedding. She's due at any moment, surrounded by her caring family. When the time finally comes, though, it's Eva who offers to take her to the hospital.