Novelette and Joy are at odds on how to discipline Dre.

On a Saturday morning, before the shop opens, Starr catches Nigel at a cheque- cashing place and the sparks fly when she accuses him of sending money to another girl back home. This time Nigel's answer is serious and when Starr sees him helping Dre with his chores, she realizes she may have judged him too quickly. Joy attacks Novelette for her conservative ways and it becomes increasingly apparent the two sisters are really getting under each other's skin. In the mirror story, a woman who's embarrassed by her alopecia finally gets up the nerve to confess to her boyfriend that she has been wearing a wig.

Tensions between the sisters run high as Joy begrudgingly packs for her flight to Jamaica so she can care for their ailing - and cantankerous - mother. Novelette finds her thoughts occupied by concerns for a different family member, as Dre has become a quick study of the social habits of the neighborhood men. Novelette is pleasantly surprised when Dwayne offers to help. Meanwhile, Nigel turns to Starr for advice when he finds out his friend is not the father of his child. In the mirror story, a woman who was unfaithful to her partner is confronted by the birth father of her baby.

Starr's secret that she was adopted by a white family is finally revealed when her mother comes to the salon, unannounced. Meanwhile, Joy falls for Gary and lies to him in front of Dre about being the owner of her sister's salon. When Gary visits Letty's Joy is forced to lie in front of a steaming Novelette. In the mirror story, a woman who's graduating top of her law class refuses to introduce her lesbian partner to her family.

Joy's relationship with Gary is heating up, and when she enters the 'Miss Curvaceous and Vivacious' pageant for the $5,000 prize she can't wait to tell Gary...but will his reaction be what she expects? Meanwhile, Novelette is up to her ears in staff demands for money and tells Nigel to bring in more business if he'd like a raise. However, when Nigel fills the shop with 'booty girls', Novelette is faced with a crisis of conscience. In the mirror story, a woman who aspires to become a modern dancer decides to trade in her successful career dancing in videos when her niece tries to follow in her footsteps.

Mrs. Campbell has come all the way from Jamaica for Novelette's birthday, a surprise orchestrated by Joy, only she's two days early and full of complaints! Meanwhile, Nigel and Starr are getting closer, and as a result, he breaks up with his girlfriend Nikki, but everything changes when Nikki arrives at the party with news of her pregnancy. In the mirror story, a woman gives up custody of her children when she begins to feel herself losing control.

Joy and Gary are on a date at Maxine's when she bumps into Patrick, a childhood friend. Gary orders a taken-aback Joy not to see Patrick again and presents her with the promise ring. Novelette offers Joy an apprenticeship at the salon and is surprised when her sister says she has to run it by Gary first. Meanwhile, Starr refuses to talk to Nigel about his 'baby-mama drama' until she needs his help fixing an overbearing client's hair. In the mirror story, a Music Therapist is urged by her frustrated husband to 'take off her mask' and figure out who she is.

Starr is sent into an emotional tailspin when a client's husband walks in. Turns out he's not just any man, but her college boyfriend made good, the 'one that got away'. Meanwhile, Novelette has to deal with the mixed emotions that arise when she is forced to send her mother back home for medical care. She and Joy end up cutting loose with a bottle of over-proof rum - leading to more connections...

For the shop's first entry in the local Hair Shop Showdown, Novelette has marshaled Starr and Nigel into helping her create a classy and upscale exhibition to match her vision for the shop. Joy, however, has studied the hair show winners for years and is convinced that Letty's approach simply won't do - the judges want sassy, not classy! Meanwhile, Richard has re-entered Letty's life and she either needs to step up and put her heart on the line, or face losing Richard for good.