Mother Buchanan is initially delighted that Bree Larson has arrived to wed her youngest son, Jesse -- Bree's future sisters-in-law, however, are unimpressed with her naivety. But everyone changes their opinion of her when Bree politely refuses to wear Mother Buchanan's wedding dress.
In an attempt to invigorate her sex life, which is suffering from living with her mother-in-law, Bree and Jesse move in with Alex. But soon Jesse begins sneaking out early and coming in late, leading everyone to believe that he's having an affair -- but the truth is even more shocking!
Vivian, who's having doubts about her marriage, is caught by Mother Buchanan having dinner with a man who's not her husband. Meanwhile, Bree takes a job at Alex's store and competes with Alex and Delilah to sell the most merchandise.
When it's discovered that Bree's diamond ring is a fake, her sisters-in-law come to discover that all of their diamonds are really cubic zirconiums too.
Delilah attempts to become the president of the ladies auxiliary, but her past comes back to haunt her. Meanwhile, Vivian schemes to become the vice president of the auxiliary -- no matter who takes the presidency.
Bree's mother, Tink, rolls into town for a visit and convinces the newlyweds to move back to California with her, thus inciting a war with Mother Buchanan. Meanwhile, Vivian, whose husband has cut off her cash, tries to raise the funds for an evening gown to wear to a swank dinner party.
When Alex is reunited with two college friends on a talk-show, she fears that her life has lost its meaning, so she organizes a women's group meeting in Mercy.
Vivian cons Bree into babysitting her destructive twins, Lydon and P.J. After the twins terrorize the naive newcomer, her sisters-in-law encourage Vivian to punish them, which she does... landing her in jail for child abuse.
When Delilah learns that she can't have children, she tries to persuade one of her sisters-in-law to be a surrogate mother. Meanwhile, Mother Buchanan is determined to convince an unwilling Bree to have a child of her own.
Mother Buchanan's daughters-in-law fix her up with the new town baker. But the ladies realize they may have goofed when it's later brought to Delilah's attention that the baker may already be married.
Alex accidentally breaks Mother Buchanan's prized, hand-painted baby Jesus statue, then attempts to replace it. Meanwhile, Bree goes overboard decorating Alex's house to win a Christmas decoration contest.
Alex's dog, Petey, who was lost on a trip to the Grand Canyon, returns home -- and promptly dies. Finally the truth comes out regarding how Petey escaped.
Delilah has her sights set on snagging the part of Maria in the local stage rendition of "The Sound of Music," but Bree blows her out of the water. Meanwhile, Mother Buchanan reluctantly agrees to take the role of Mother Superior, despite the fact that she loathes one of her co-stars.
At Mother Buchanan's urging, Alex's husband, Roy, participates in an alumni football game -- and has a heart attack on the field. Meanwhile, Bree gets into playing cheerleader for the home team.
Bree consults her sisters-in-law after Mother Buchanan threatens to crop her out of a family photo, and learns how each of them became a part of the Buchanan clan.
The ladies attend the funeral of a relative whom none of the sisters-in-law knew... but on the way to get there, problem after problem arises.
After Vivian's husband, Ed, has a sex dream about Delilah, Vivian fears that her marriage is over. So her sisters-in-law encourage her to join them at a "naughty nighties" party to buy lingerie to spice up her marriage. Meanwhile, Bree becomes self-conscious and thinks that everyone else thinks Delilah is better looking than she.