Charles finds himself in a bind when he wins two tickets for a Bruce Springsteen concert and both Buddy and Gwendolyn want to go with him. He also has to deal with doing the right thing with a dog that the boys brought home.

Mr. and Mrs. Pembroke are fighting and Charles needs to get a term paper done by the next morning while avoiding the many distractions that the house provides.

The Pembrokes' irresponsible cousin Elliot has decided to run for student body president on campus. With Gwendolyn's urging, Charles runs against him in an effort to do the responsible thing.