Saison 1

Six months after their parents were killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver, the five Salinger orphans are struggling to make ends meet and keep their family together. They try to search for a replacement for Owen's 65-year-old nanny, Mrs. Kelleher, who suddenly quits. Bailey assumes most of the responsibility for the family. Julia turns her back on the family after a classmate named P.K. shows an interest in her. After her heart is broken, she longs for her mother's advice and comfort. Charlie loses $12,000 of their money in a bad real estate investment. Joe Mangus, their father's partner in Salingers Restaurant, loans Charlie enough money to tide them over on the condition that Charlie work at Salingers as a bartender, a job which Charlie accepts reluctantly. Young Claudia pawns her violin and announces that she'd rather be a regular kid than a child prodigy. Her violin instructor, Ross Werkman, reminds her that she has a rare gift and encourages her to stick with it.

Bailey dreams about Kristen. Claudia tries to find their lost grandfather. Julia is tired of her life and start going to parties and failing school. Charlie dumps his older mistress and flirts with Kristen. Bailey makes up an imaginary friend to get Kristen's attention and she accidentally tells everybody about it. Charlie and Kristen kiss. Claudia finds a man who might be their grandfather, but he isn't. Charlie doesn't go out with Kristen for Bailey.

Bailey witnesses a fight between one of his teammates and some members of an opposing team. When he refuses to name the teammate who was involved in the incident, he is suspended from the football team. Julia holds a party for her ""new friends"", but they quickly abuse her generosity by trashing the house. Kirsten starts dating a lawyer named George. Charlie regrets not making his move on Kirsten. Because he lied about his profession, Kirsten dumps George and isn't interested in Charlie.

Sex seems to be the only thing on everyone's mind, but no one answers Claudia's questions about it. Julia decides that she's ready to go all the way with her friend, Justin, but backs off. Charlie and Kirsten finally make a date, but just as their romance is heating up, she learns that he used one of his weak pick-up lines on her. Bailey likes Kate, the pretty customer he met at the shoe store, but is sadden to learn that she has a boyfriend.

Charlie's ex-girlfriend, Rebecca, visits and turns to him for comfort, due to a failing marriage. They end up sleeping together and now Charlie begins lying to Kirsten and Rebecca. Bailey finds out that Kate's boyfriend, Tom, is too nice and feels bad trying to win Kate over. He eventually succeeds. Julia tries to pass for 18 to get a job waitressing in a club. Claudia pretends to be younger so she can enter a violin competition.

At work, Julia runs into P.K. and he later shows up on her doorstep sporting a black eye and seeking refuge from his abusive stepfather. As the family takes in P.K., they worry that hiding P.K. could get them in trouble with social services. Joe promotes Charlie from bartender to night manager, but Charlie's not interested. Bailey tries to impress Kate's stern father.

Kirsten finds out about Rebecca and breaks up with Charlie. Charlie sees Julia at the club and assumes that she is there partying. Claudia becomes jealous of Bailey's new relationship with Kate and gives Kate the wrong message so that she'd miss a date with Bailey. Owen is rushed to the hospital.

Bailey is shocked when Kate tells him that she plans to stay a virgin until she marries. When Bailey doesn't accept her decision and Kate doesn't change her mind, they break up. Julia teams with a songwriter who wants to put her poetry into music. Claudia is named one of the Bay area's most gifted young musicians and lets her success go to her head.

A friend of the family by the name of Greer Erikson visits the Salingers. Her well-meaning interference causes problems for the Salinger siblings. Greer tries to boost Julia's confidence by sending her to a fashion photographer and spends $800 on the photo session. Greer also tries to get Bailey over his breakup with Kate by fixing him up on a blind date. Bailey soon develops an attraction for Greer instead. Ross comes out of the closet and reveals to Claudia that he is gay. Meanwhile, Charlie searches for a new nanny.

The Salinger siblings finally meet the Walter Alcott, the drunk driver who killed their parents. Walter Alcott wants to see the Salingers in person. They all talk privately with Walter. Bailey wants Walter to suffer like they have. He later leaves and shows up at Kate's house, where they reconcile. Julia assures Walter that she can forgive him.

Mrs. Gideon, the social worker, shows up without telling and finds a complete mess in the house. Julia gets to the house wearing the new bar costume, and Claudia is missing, causing a very bad impression at her. They call the police and report Claudia. When the phone rings in the morning they find Claudia in the kitchen and she blames them for not knowing anything about her life. Charlie has a secret and won't tell, so they think he might be on drugs. Morgan fires all the waitresses, but later he tries to get Julia back, but she won't come back Bailey and Julia play parents on Claudia's date, ruining it. Charlie reveals that he's back to school. Bailey asks Kristen to help them when Mrs. Gideon visits again, and they all act as a perfect happy family to her. Bailey and Charlie agree to help each other. Claudia asks Mrs. Gideon not to split them up. Owen takes his first steps.

Kristen and Charlie sleep together. Later, she is cold to him and tells him that she slept with him because she is sick and scared. Bailey plans a trip with Kate. Her father wants to send her to a boarding school in Connecticut, but Bailey finds out that she is wants to go. They fight and Kate tells him that she will have sex with him, but he refuses to because she doesn't mean that. Julia and Morgan go on a date. Nina tells her to be mysterious, surprising and make him jealous. Claudia overhears their conversation and do all that to get Arnie's attention. Charlie tells Kristen that he loves her and will be there for her. She tells him that she can't have babies.

Bailey meets Jill Holbrook, a pretty waitress who he falls for and ends up sleeping with her. Morgan begins to drink after his club is closed down and he is forced to pay a fine. Julia wants to help, but he doesn't accept her apology or her money to pay the fine. Claudia receives her first period. Kirsten's family wants her to return home to Chicago.

Claudia spends time thinking about converting to Judaism. Julian finds her mother's old journal and finds that her mother planned to have an affair with another man. In the meantime, Kirsten moves into Charlie's room and gets under a fight with Julia.

Charlie tries out how Kirsten's relationship with Ben Atkins is. Julia is surprised to find out that Justin is dating Libby Dwyer, her friend. Claudia's relationship with Artie is in big question when she take over his role in ""Oliver"".

After an earthquake, Claudia and Jill start acting weard, escpecially Jill. Charlie is suspicious about Jill's behaviour and he's convinced that the main problem are drugs. In the meantime, Julia's friendship with Libby is again shaken because Justin.

Jill has a car crash and Bailey thinks she might be on drugs. Julia and Justin tell his mom that they're going out. Justin gets mad at her for spending too much time with his mom, and she tells him how much she misses a mother to talk to. Arnie's parents are breaking up, and Claudia makes a plan to get them back together, but it fails. Charlie tries to be a better father for Owen, and the baby says ""dad"" to Charlie. Bailey goes to Jill's mom for help, but she doesn't care. Jill is missing and her mom goes to Bailey for help, apologizing for her previous rudeness.

Bailey urgently travells to L.A. to find missing Jill. In the meantime, everyone is too occupied with Claudia's 12th birthday. Julia spends some time with Danny, a male who is HIV positive.

After receiving a opportunity to get a great job, which one person can get one in their live, Charlie needs to do some thinking, because if he would go, the whole family would have to move to Seattle. Bailey and Julian get stuck together on a math class.

Bailey gets into big doubts, when Kate, who has returned back, and Jill both want to get back together with him and continue their relationship where it stopped. Charlie becomes troubled when he grounds Claudia and does not gives Bill a raise. In the meantime, Julia wins a award for her writing, but she's not in the bad mood, because she humiliated her siblings.

Bailey interferes in Jill's business when she decides to take over of preparations for a school dance marathon. Julia does not wants to rush into having sex with Justin. Charlie realizes that he needs his family now more than ever, so he's in doubts about leaving the house.

After Jill dies because of overdosing, Bailey refuses to believe that she's dead. In the meantime, Griffin Holbrook; Jill's brother; comes in and does not wants to have any business with Julia, so he trie to avoid her. Finally, Charlie and Kirsten get engaged.