The second season of The Waltons begins as the family's eldest son John-Boy (Richard Thomas) is torn between his own youthful desires and the more pressing needs of an elderly person. Octogenarian Maggie MacKenzie (Linda Watkins) is resolved to the fact that she isn't long for this world, but she refuses to give up the ghost until she is able to see the Atlantic Ocean one last time--the same Atlantic Ocean that had carried herself and her late husband from Scotland to America so many years ago. Pressed into service to transport Maggie to the seacoast is John-Boy, but he isn't happy about the assignment: Maggie's odyssey may well prevent him from attending a big dance with his erstwhile girlfriend Marsha (Tammi Bula). Series creator Earl Hamner Jr. briefly appears as Maggie's husband in a flashback sequence. This episode earned the Directors' Guild of America award for Harry Harris.

Seeking solitude to write his stories, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) takes a hike into the mountains. But peace and quiet is not on his schedule when he comes across his friend Sarah Simmonds (Sissy Spacek in her second series appearance), who has run away from her husband--and who is very pregnant and very, very ill. This chance meeting occurs not long after an earlier encounter between John-Boy and elderly mountain dweller Granny Ketchum (Frances Williams), who in repayment for a favor had supplied him with a home-made medicinal potion. When Sarah downs the potion, she suddenly goes into labor...and John-Boy is the only person within miles who can help her!

The plot of this episode is sparked (no pun intended) by an overdue electric bill. In his efforts to raise the necessary funds, Grandpa Walton (Will Geer) becomes enmeshed in a situation that incurs the wrath of Grandma (Ellen Corby). This minor and rather silly misunderstanding escalates into a bitter quarrel--whereupon Grandpa and Grandma, too stubborn to admit their mistakes and reconcile their differences, may well be on the verge of a permanent split-up! This episode is based on a story by series regular Ellen Corby).

John Walton (Ralph Waite) is accused of stealing some valuable silver goblets from wealthy neighbor Mrs. Claybourne (Diana Webster). Her evidence? Well, for starters, John is the only visitor that Mrs. Claybourne has had in weeks--and even more damning, he has suddenly and inexplicably come into a large sum of money. Too angry and proud to defend himself, John is on the verge of a lengthy jail term until the truth is revealed in a surprising fashion.

Hal Williams and Erin Blunt make their first series appearances as itinerant laborer Harley Foster and his son Jody. After a brief and tantalizing glimpse of family life at the Walton home, Jody begs his father to stop wandering and settle down. But the fiercely independent Harley prefers his nomadic existence, prompting Jody to take drastic action to get what he wants. All the while, Harley seems unaware that widow Verdie Grant (Lynn Hamilton) has set her cap for him--but he won't stay unaware for long!

John-Boy (Richard Thomas) catches his friend Yancy Tucker (Robert Donner) stealing chickens, but decides not to tell their sheriff. This may prove to be the wrong decision when chicken farmer Charlie Potter (Richard O'Brien) is shot--and Yancy is the only likely suspect. And speaking of thievery, Ben (Eric Scott) gets himself in hot water when he "borrows" one of John-Boy's old poems, "A Winter Mountain", to win a literary competition.

The Waltons attend the annual County Fair, where each family member hopes to win a prize. At the same time, Olivia's former beau Oscar Cockrell (Peter Donat) shows up at the fair in hopes of advancing his political career. Comparing Oscar's affluence with his own family's lack of same, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) asks himself how different his life would have been if Olivia (Michael Learned) had accepted Oscar's proposal. Meanwhile, a "special ingredient" in Olivia's cake has a curious effect on the contest judges!

Orphan Hobie Shanks (Michael McGreevey), who years earlier had briefly stayed with the Waltons, returns to the Mountain brimming over with braggadocio. Everyone is impressed by Hobie's claim that he is about to be given a pitching tryout with a professional baseball team--everyone, that is, except the envious John-Boy (Richard Thomas), who thinks that Hobie is full of hot air. Surprisingly, it turns out that Hobie is telling the truth . . .but he may never get the chance to become a "pro" thanks to a freak accident. (Trivia note: guest star Michael McGreevey is the son of frequent Waltons scriptwriter John McGreevey--who, incidentally, did NOT write this episode).

John-Boy (Richard Thomas) learns a few harsh and bitter life lessons when he accepts a job collecting debts for shifty absentee landlord Graham Foster (Charles Tyner). Meanwhile, John-Boy's sister Erin (Mary Elizabeth McDonough), feeling that her brother has let her down by aligning himself with Foster, shifts her affections to a wild fawn--and refuses to set the animal free, even when her family gets in trouble with the local authorities. This episode was directed by series regular Ralph Waite (John Walton).