Samantha has just begun junior high school, and has little trouble becoming friends with the popular girls. Since they are all from wealthy families, Samantha is afraid they will not like her if they know of her true past, so she tells them that Tony owns Angela's house and is an advertising executive.

When Samantha needs more money to participate in activities with her basketball team, Angela hires her to work for her on Saturdays. But Samantha soon realizes that, by working weekends, she is missing all the events she wanted money for. So she decides to do a poor job, hoping to get fired.

A sitter's last-minute cancellation leaves Samantha to watch Jonathan while Angela and Tony go to a parents' meeting at school. Samantha panics when Jonathan inadvertently tosses a piece of jewelry down the sink drain. Although Tony had told her not to have any guests, the house is soon full of her friends: Chad, a boy who thinks he can retrieve the missing jewelry, and four of Samantha's friends who come to admire Chad. Tony and Angela return home just as the kids are sneaking out.

After a party Sam comes home with a love bite and Tony, beside himself, forbids her seeing Todd again. In the evening Sam sneaks out of the house to meet Todd anyway.

Sam has had a big argument with Bonnie. Tony wants to see them both together again but Sam only agrees if he for his part makes it up with his old foe from high school, Mickey. Therefore Tony invites Mickey who has in the meantime become a Father. But when Tony annoys him too much Mickey strikes a blow.

Samantha thinks her boyfriend Chad is the cat's meow when he writes a song just for her. Word gets around, and the tune is heard by legend Ray Charles whom Angela cooerses into recording it for her ad agency. When rat Chad starts seeing another girl, Samantha is so infuriated she demands the recording not take place. It takes a stellar performance of the song by Ray to make Samantha see that her friendship with Angela is more important than getting back at Chad.

Sam has found a new friend and meets him at the library. But it's the college library - Tony finds this out and assumes that her new friend must be much too old for her. Immediately he goes there and in front of everyone he makes Sam look like a fool. Sam's friend is the 15 year old genius Mason whom Sam just want to use to show off in front of her friends.

Sam has no companion for the dance. Tony brings a boy, who's working in the vegetables department in the supermarket, along with him. But with his persuasiveness concerning the protection of birds, Jesse drives away the partner Sam has found inbetween.

Tony takes charge of a teen restaurant. When he throws out a popular student all the other customer follow him. Sam, working there as waitress, gets the order to fire her dad.

Sam and Jesse decide to go steady.

Young Samantha has reached a teenage milestone - she has her driver's license! But in upscale Connecticut she feels left out when Bonnie gets a brand new car but Tony buys Samantha a hazard light on wheels! It comes down to pride vs love when it's discovered she's parking blocks away from her school.

Samantha wants to go to Vermont ski lodge for the weekend, but Tony forbids her. Sam goes anyway. Along the way, she remembers everything her father did, even the embarassing moments!!

Mrs. Rossini visits Tony. Accompanying her is her young uncle Al.Al is attending the nearby Beauty College and Tony should take care of him. In the course of this Sam and Al come closer.

Again Sam comes home with an expensive T-shirt. This time Tony wants to show her that she can have them cheaper and produces some of them himself. Angela and Sam persuade him selling them at the flea market. Both of them help him, especially Sam hopes she can get rid of her debts which she has made at Jonathan. But it happens what has to happen: Angela and Tony quarrel.

Samantha gets drunk one night, and when she sees Tony drinking the next day, she calls him a hypocrite because he told her drinking was wrong.

At a practical program, where students are assigned different jobs, for Sam and Bonnie there are only two left: domestic engineer with Tony or advertising with Angela. Sam decides in favor of the housekeeping job which she regrets soon. The following day Bonnie and Sam switch their jobs but working for Angela isn't any fun, neither.

Sam's friend Scott gets nervous about French finals, so on test day, Sam gives Scott the answers. When Tony finds out, he takes Sam's car privileges. But when Sam has to take chemistry finals, someone gives Sam the answers to the test, but she does not use it. When the teacher sees the answers under Sam's desk, he calls Tony. But will anyone believe anything she says?

Sam joins a book discussion group when she develops a crush on the instructor, a young college professor, unaware that he is married.

Due to good scholastic work Sam is admitted to a special program which allows her to skip her last year in High School and go directly to college. But she fears that Tony then is left back alone.

Sam and Bonnie take part in a school trip to Fort Lauderdale. And the supervisor is: Tony. Mona and Sam are able to persuade Angela to go with them to look after Tony. In Florida Sam realizes that she's more similar to Tony than she has ever thought.

Sam has her heart set on attending Tate College, but Tony insists she keep an open mind, so the two take a road trip to visit some schools. Sam eventually gets a letter from Tate requesting an interview, but things don't go as she hoped.

Tony and Angela invite Sam to temporarily move back to the house while she is sick. She is skeptical at first, but soon is taking full advantage of their hospitality. Only Jonathan sees that she is milking Tony and Angela for their attention.