District Attorney Wilkinson is highly pleased when Angela suggests he campaign for attorney general, with her help, if he agrees to convict her ex-son-in-law, Tony, of murder. Wilkinson digs until he makes sure that he can nail Tony. Angry at Peter for his involvement with Richard, Angela seeks a divorce. When Maggie and Chase are unable to find the adoptive parents of their child, Maggie pleads a mother's appeal in the media while Chase offers a reward. Gabrielle accepts Chase's offer to be in charge of his wine operations. Vicky has no one to turn to except Eric. Melissa continues her double life as a chanteuse.

When Kit comes to Tony's defense, the gesture proves worthless. Tony's trial proceeds as if D.A. Wilkinson had scripted it, until Kit arrives at the courtroom. After Chase uncovers evidence that Melissa had engineered the botched paternity test, he is too late to intercept her due to Angela's threats. Chao-Li loses face because Angela and Lance stay up all night to take care of him. After Chase and Maggie decide on a quick divorce, Richard sees his chance for happiness.

After discovering that Maggie has finally accepted Richard, Emma and Angela throw a surprise engagement party. During the party, Melissa makes her entrance dressed only in a bathrobe. Lance discovers that the charming stranger he has befriended knows secrets that could directly impact him. Liz makes an announcement that infuriates Angela but delights Maggie. Melissa overhears Angela talking about her plan to drive Melissa insane and have her committed. Richard saves Eric from making a terrible mistake.

After Vicky vanishes from Angela's party, Richard and Eric frantically search for her. After Dan is surprised by the arrival of a half-sister whom he didn't know he had, he puts her to work in the grape fields. Shannon tries to leave the valley after Lance questions her. Melissa is able to deflect Angela's scheme to get her committed so that Angela instead loses her hold on Dan. Angela succeeds in prying into Maggie's affairs.

In spite of Emma's well-laid plans for a beautiful affair, fate makes a travesty of Maggie and Richard's wedding day. After Maggie finds the perfect house, Richard agrees to have the wedding in the garden. Tempers erupt when Eric creates an unpleasant situation at Richard's bachelor party. When Melissa shows up at Maggie's bridal shower, the two finally reconcile. While Eric is able to perform an errand for Richard that could affect Maggie's future, Carly runs an errand for Angela, which does affect Melissa's future. Lance and Tony fight over Shannon.

Maggie and Richard decide to try again, while Angela proves uncharacteristically supportive. When Lance moves back into the manor house, Angela joyfully greets him with the news that Carly will be staying for a few days. In a misguided attempt to help Emma, Curtis digs dirt on Richard. At Lance's instigation, Melissa enters into an elaborate masquerade to rescue Emma. In his effort to break the codicil to Chase's will, Richard enrolls some dangerous assistance. When Gabrielle returns to the valley on the anniversary of Chase's death, she gives Maggie some hopeful news.

Maggie recovers from her drunken fall and decides to throw away all of the alcohol in the house so she won't be tempted to drink again. Lance continues to investigate Curtis's allegations about Richard's underworld activity. Richard finds him rifling through Emma's office at the New Globe and warns him to stay away from Maggie. Lance tries in vain to enlist Maggie's support, but she denies Lance's accusations and tells him to stop before anyone else gets hurt. Frank and Melissa ride out to Hobart, California using Frank's antiquated map. Melissa accuses him of selfish motives, but when Frank raises his gun and shoots a rattler lying close to her, Melissa is embarrassed into silence. Frank tells her that he is dying and has no desire of cheating her out of her legacy. When they get to Hobart, all they find are abandoned buildings from an old mining community. On further inspection of a shack, Melissa falls through the crumbling flooring into a hole below. Frank attempts to rescue Meliss