Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray) and his youngest son, Chip (Stanley Livingston), are caught in the snares of designing women (Patricia Barry and Debbie Megowan), respectively.

Chip collects items for the school's annual rag drive. One neighbor notices all the strange happenings at the Douglas home. Bub appears drunk, Robbie carries a dummy in the house, and Chip talks to the dummy and drops it out the window.

Bub tries to fit into family life, but the boys find things difficult when Bub speaks against a PTA mother, shows up at school with a forgotten lunch, and seems to interfere with girlfriends. Turns out, all the help was needed.

A telecast of a countdown to a 1957 satellite launch provides the backdrop for a Monday morning in the Douglas household. Everyone seems to be unusually tired.

Robbie (Don Grady) finds out that a popular girl in school likes him, except that she (Cheryl Holdridge) confuses Robbie with Mike (Tim Considine).

After Steve visits the office of a potential client, a General whose motto is "Adjust or bust," he experiences many transportation inconveniences and missed connections getting home in time for the General's dinner appointment.