
Nicks brother shows up unexpectedly,and rekindles old wounds between him and his brother.In the meantime Patti gets in trouble at school for using uncle Frankie's tactics to get even with another student.This causes more problems with Nick and his brother- they stop speaking. Nick then learns his brother is dying of leukemia and he tries to patch things up before its to late.
Nick forces Rose to become a debutante. He feels that she is spending too much time with her new found religion ""spatzkism"". At a party, she meets a guy named Matthew Taylor who tries to use her. She resists his advances and tries to run away. Nick and the girls get in on the fun of getting even with Matthew which causes everyone to go ""ape"". A secret comes out about Rose's mother, and Nick has to help Rose deal with the emotions she's facing and the loss. Rose makes a splash at the debutante ball.