When Jake accidentally sets fire to the kitchen, the Morgendorffers stay in a hotel until repairs are made. Daria elects to stay at Jane's, where she gets to know Tom better, causing Jane to suspect that there's more going on than meets the eye.

Jane's latest artistic endeavour is to paint tiger stripes in her hair, for which she recruits Daria's assistance. Botching the job gets her in hot water with Jane, but it's her encounter with Tom that may turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life.

When Lawndale High suffers a budget crisis, the cure may be worse than the disease.