Brandon becomes involved with a young woman named Marcie St. Claire, whose father, Dixon St. Claire, is Jim's new client and has plans for tearing down the Peach Pit to make way for a new shopping mall. Brandon then begins a major battle with his father who is in support of the project. Brandon also gets upset with Nat when Nat decides to sell the Pit. All of the gang except Brenda join Brandon's crusade to save the Peach Pit. Brenda decides to give her support to her father.

With Nat still in the hospital awaiting heart surgery, Brandon temporarily takes over running the Peach Pit, while Dylan rescues the place after he buys out Joey's share, making Dylan the co-owner. Meanwhile, David's drug problem returns, resulting in Kelly and Donna moving out and David losing his radio DJ job when Howard the station manager sees that he's completely out of control and fires him. Jesse objects to Andrea's decision to get an abortion. Brandon learns of Lucinda's divorce from Professor Randall and wants a relationship with her.

Donna tries to make up with David, whose increased drug use turns her away. David also steals $150 from his father to buy more amphetamines for himself. When his drug dealer is arrested later, he finds himself in possession of a huge stash of narcotics and calls on Dylan for help. Meanwhile, Jesse and Andrea meet with her grandmother to get her blessings before their wedding and reception at the Peach Pit. A dangerous affair begins between Brandon and Lucinda, who shows her true colors when she starts teaching her anthropology class of human sexuality and preaches the need for multiple partners, seeing sex as her personal weapon. Brenda gets a surprise visit from a long-absent Stuart on Valentine's Day.

Jim gets Brandon tickets to the Rolling Stones' Rose Bowl concert, but a hearing to determine the legality of his presidency is moved to the night of the concert. Jesse argues that Brandon is already the legitimate president, as he has been calling senate meetings to order; the challenge to the presidency is denied. Brandon takes Andrea to the concert. Kelly gets backstage access through the magazine, while braggart Steve has trouble getting in at all after a hippie steals his wallet. Ray and Donna work as vendors and see the show free of charge. David and Clare go to the concert even though they claim to hate the group, but have to turn to a scalper when Mel lets them down. Steve and his father force Dylan out of the Peach Pit After Dark. He agrees to sell his shares when Steve, Nat, and Willie (the cook) visit him in rehab. Dylan and Valerie agree to stop seeing each other, as he doesn't want to involve her in his problems. During group therapy, Dylan has a confrontation with Charley, an older man who likes to bully other patients instead of dealing with his own problems. Charley seeks Dylan's help to finally overcome his addiction.

Sagging attendance at the Peach Pit After Dark draws David back to the stage with a talented new partner named Juwan, a young gang member whose performance is threatened by violence from a disgruntled band. Valerie flies to Reno, Nevada to ask Ray to come back to the After Dark when Donna lobbies for his return. Meanwhile, Brandon becomes a guide to Warren, a young and bright, but immature and spoiled genius coveted by Chancellor Arnold to attend the university. Also, Dylan has a disturbing experience with hypnotic regression.

Brandon and Susan cover the Tournament of Roses Royal Court tryouts in which Kelly, Donna, and Clare are candidates. After his successful return to the stage, Ray gives a command performance to the 11-year old daughter of a record company president. Meanwhile, Toni begins to get to Dylan while he develops feelings for her. Also, Kelly becomes jealous when Colin attends the Rose Ball with Valerie, and Steve tries to find an out to his math tutoring from Clare by tapping in on an Internet dating system.

After David's mother attempts to kill herself, it turns him into a recluse and it brings back bad memories for Valerie over her father's suicide. Meanwhile, Toni invites Dylan and his friends over for dinner at her father's mansion where Toni's bodyguard, Bruno, confronts Dylan that he and Marchette know all about him and his father. Also, Brandon finally negotiates a date with Susan, but dating and newspaper politics sometimes don't mix. Elsehwere, Nat and his chef, Willie, try to catch an elusive mouse at the Peach Pit that's hurting their business, until Donna comes to their rescue.

With Colin in jail, Valerie tries to arrange bail for him. Kelly finally gets out of rehab and moves back into the beach front apartment, and Tara briefly runs away from the rehab center to visit her. Meanwhile, Brandon and Susan, Steve and Clare try to rekindle the romance between Nat and his lost love, Joan Diamond, by taking them out on a triple date. Also, Joe's news of the success of his heart surgery finally relieves Donna.

Brandon and Susan play the lottery and win $5,000, but they lose the winning ticket. Valerie is left hanging when Colin bails out on going to jail. He then visits Kelly for a while before fleeing town. Meanwhile, Steve becomes more friendly with Prince Carl, until a fall down a flight of stairs breaks Steve's jaw, leaving him speechless. David and Donna's fame as video producers spreads in which their video producer Erik, wants them to make another music video. Also, Joe finally returns to football practice.

Brandon is given the request of escorting Lily, Joan's wild and crazy teenage daughter, prior to hers and Nat's wedding, which has a sudden change of venue when a very pregnant Joan goes into labor. Meanwhile, Kelly volunteers to do community service work at an AIDS hospice and befriends Jimmy Gold, a gay AIDS patient whom she is assigned to work with. David moves in with Mark at his house in the Hollywood Hills and later becomes discouraged when he learns of MZA's decision to dismiss him. Also, Valerie is frustrated when Kenny's wife suddenly shows up, disrupting their romantic plans.

During an argument with Donna in the student union, David throws a tantrum and cuts his hand on a glass. He must see a psychiatrist after displaying hostile behavior toward the ER staff. Mel agrees with the doctor's recommendation that David be held 72 hours for observation. David is diagnosed with a mild form of manic depression. His mother comes to see him and advises him to moderate his behavior; he will not require medication if he seeks therapy and stops drinking. David thanks Donna for her support and they decide to get back together. Steve faces plagiarism charges; Professor Randall, who assumed control of the independent study course after returning to CU, recognized Brandon's writing. Randall still holds a vendetta against Brandon and brings collusion charges against him. Kelly and Mark's plans for a romantic weekend getaway are foiled by a lost reservation. They finally secure a motel room, only to come down with food poisoning. The gang helps Willie build a house that his family will receive from Habitat for Humanity. Val displays construction skills as a result of working with her contractor father, but hints to Clare that she has few happy memories of her dad. Everyone eats Thanksgiving dinner inside the unfinished house.

Both Valerie and Kelly sneak a look at each other's journal, but only Valerie reads the whole thing and spreads rumors about Kelly to Clare and Donna in yet another attempt to make Kelly's life miserable. Meanwhile, Steve and Brandon visit a car museum, where a scheming employee sets both of them up for a problematic ride in an electric car that was revealed to have been stolen. This delays Brandon's attempt to fulfill a childhood dream for Kelly - meeting with retired kiddie show host, Magic Morton, to get his magic wand for her.

On the day before commencement, Kelly becomes determined to oust Valerie from the Walsh house (and town) and pressures Brandon to do so. Meanwhile, Donna decides it's time to move up to a new level of romance with David after getting advice from her grandmother. Steve plans to pull the "best senior prank ever" with some help from his frat brother Muntz, as well as David.