Fiona starts a new office job but has a hard time fitting in with the corporate culture. In an attempt to get medical coverage, Frank inadvertently becomes involved in the gay rights movement where he meets Abraham Paige, a powerful activist.

Fiona's job has brought structure ito her life, but when Jimmy drops a bomb on her things fall apart. Frank is happy with his newfound celebrity as the face of the gay rights movement.

Fiona takes the kids on a camping trip. Essentially homeless, Frank seeks out Carl who sneaks him into the Gallagher van for the night.

Fiona and the family prepare a surprise high school,graduation party for Lip. Frank wins a bet and uses the winnings to take Lip out for lobster and some quality father/son time.

Frank returns, disrupting life; Lip attends college; Ian is missing; Fiona tries to connect with Debbie and Carl.

Fiona begins to enjoy the perks of living life just above the poverty line. She uses her newly activated health benefits to take the kids for checkups. However, when a road rage incident damages the company car, Fiona tells a much bigger lie about how it happened. Meanwhile, Lip seems to have lost his mojo as he struggles in school and with the ladies.

Frank stalks his previously unseen daughter, Sammi, and is surprised to find out she has a son, Chuck. Meanwhile, Fiona and Mike are getting serious. Also, Carl begins stealing dogs and holding them for ransom so that he can earn some drug money for Frank. Sheila has her first successful online date with Native American cowboy Roger Running Tree.

Against her better judgment, Fiona continues her secret affair with Robbie. The situation nearly boils over when Mike shows up at Robbie’s apartment while Fiona is inside. Fiona is able to hide just in time before her infidelity can be exposed. Frank, in increasingly dire health straits due to liver disease, attempts to contrive an “accident” that will provide an ample insurance payout to cover the cost of a potential transplant.

Fiona's series of bad decisions involving Robbie finally boil over. Meanwhile, Frank and Sammi pursue a cure for Frank's liver trouble and try to catch up on missed father-daughter time; and Lip gets a surprise visit at college from Army investigators.

Fiona ends up in jail; the family waits for news about Liam; Frank wakes up in the emergency room.