Grace Under Fire

After divorcing her abusive husband, single mother Grace becomes one of the two first women hired at the local oil refinery. She is called away on her first day of work when her oldest, Quentin, gets into a fight at school. Grace's friend sets her up with Russell, a pharmacist also coming out of a bad marriage.

Grace has a talk with Quentin's teacher, who seems to have family issues of her own. Grace finds Quentin up on the roof and then discovers what he does up there.

Grace's former in-laws have the children for the weekend. The men plan to "save" Russell's former dog from his neuter appointment. Grace and Nadine are invited to a frat house party.

On payday, Grace discovers her paycheck is being held by the IRS. Russell's wife tells him that she wants him back. Grace and Russell fight the next day, but he still comes to her rescue when she is stuck with the IRS.

Nadine talks Grace into going to the Second Time Around dance, hosted by a group for divorced and widowed persons. Grace runs into Nadine's first ex-husband. Nadine and Wade invite the couple to dinner.

Grace's sisters come to visit for her birthday.

Grace goes on a blind date with a man who admits that the shirt he's wearing was "found" on top of the neighbor's trash. His repeated demonstrations of frugality wear Grace down. Meanwhile, Libby is having a difficult time relating to her baby brother.

Grace has some financial difficulties, and when she learns that Jimmy has won some money in a lawsuit, she decides to go after him. She drags him to court with the help of a law student and wins some money. Everybody makes fun of Russell due to a bad divorce settlement.

Nadine discusses starting a family with Grace. Grace's supervisor Bill lies to his wife about helping Grace build a jungle gym for her kids as an excuse to go to the track. His wife confides in her and tells her that she knows the truth. Wade has a long talk with Grace about his job.

When the management decides to fire the temp staff, Bill makes Grace and Wanda permanent in order to save their jobs. Grace gets a raise and insurance but must work the regular night shift. Nadine, Russell and Wade help her out.

Grace decorates for Christmas with Russell's help, but Quentin is sad and misses his father. Grace's sister Faith collapses at work, so she and Russell rush to Alabama. They bring her back home to spend Christmas with them.

Grace takes her kids to her in-laws' house to meet their great-grandmother, Nana Lil. Lil takes a liking to Libby and gives Grace a ring to pass on to her, but Grace's mother-in-law is not happy with them having the ring.

There's a new guy at work who's interested in Grace. Grace runs into Vickie at the pharmacy, who later comes to her for help. Wade asks Russell for advice about having a baby.

Grace needs some time and a place for herself. While cleaning out the basement, she comes across some of her old paintings and vows to take it up again. The guys from work come to play poker. Wade teaches Grace that it's not physical, but mental, space she needs to do what she enjoys.

Ryan asks Grace to go to Chicago with him for the weekend. When they miss their flight due to a freak accident, they decide to spend the night at his place. Grace tells him a story her father told her about finding a piece of a shooting star.

Quentin is obvious in his dislike for Ryan. Quentin orders a heart-shaped pizza for Grace, unaware that she has plans with Ryan. Feeling awkward, Ryan leaves. Faith and Russell break up. Nadine and Wade find baby-making to be a chore.

Libby tells Grace her friend Caroline has the "best mom ever" for entering her daughter in a child's beauty pageant. When Grace relents, and lets Libby enter the pageant, Caroline's mother tells Grace that she doesn't have the "breeding" to be pageant material.

Quentin is in yet another fight at school and Grace tricks the teacher into canceling his expulsion. Grace finds a counselor for Quentin. Patrick is teething and Libby has a fever.

After an accident in the oil refinery, Grace takes time to rekindle with her ex. Nadine and Wade may be expecting their first child.

It's Mother's Day and Grace invites her mother to visit, and Faith is clearly upset. Quentin confides his dislike for Ryan to his grandma and she consoles him.

Grace gets promoted to supervisor at the refinery to the dismay of some of her male co-workers. When Grace tells her ex-husband that Quentin can't spend the summer with him, Quentin runs away from home and ends up on Ryan's front stoop.

Grace's car breaks down. She gets fed up and decides to sell it. She takes a car loan from her company and buys a used car with Wade and Russell's help. Libby's friend Sam visits and they play house. When Sam's mom catches the kids kissing, she freaks out and takes Sam away.