Dr. Michael Rossi arrives by train in the small New England town of Peyton Place. He is greeted at the station by teenager Rodney Harrington and his girlfriend, Betty Anderson, who drive him to the local inn. Rodney catches his father, Leslie Harrington, wealthy head of the Peyton Place Mills, kissing his secretary Julie Anderson, Betty's mother. Betty is confused by the sudden change in Rodney's demeanor and his conflicted silence. They break off in anger and Rodney drives away. He encounters virginal Allison MacKenzie, a special friend of his shy younger brother, Norman Harrington. Allison and Rodney are seen kissing by Constance MacKenzie, Allison's over-protective mother. Dr. Rossi befriends Matthew Swain, editor of the "Peyton Place Clarion".

Norman learns that Rodney is after Allison. Leslie urges Rodney to forget what he saw last night. Dr. Rossi gets settled and meets Constance, whom he's sure that he knows, which worries her.

Dr. Rossi tells Betty she may be pregnant. Laura decides to stay on as Rossi's secretary. Matthew urges Connie to tell Allison the truth about her birth. Betty tries to talk to Rodney. Dr. Rossi remembers Connie and the circumstances of her pregnancy.

Lesley Harrington tells July Anderson he loves here. July says she cannot leave George, because she still loves George, despite things he does and despite she is afraid of him. Constance visits Mike Rossi to tell the truth, about the birth of Allison After breaking up with Betty, Rodney has a date with Allison. He puts all his charms on her to make her feel special, Betty is desperate because Rodney left her, she tells her mother she thinks she is pregnant. George comes home angry and beats his wife.

After George beats up Julie, he asks for help with doctor Rossi, to whom he tells she fell off the stairs. Later, he tells to his daughter she is too good for Rodney. Michael confronts Constance with the fact she is shutting him out of her life. Meanwhile, Leslie asks Rod why he broke up with Betty. Leslie's affair with Julie comes up, which Norman hears. They are interrupted with George, who visits the Harrington house, tells Leslie about Julie's situation.

When Andrea Nichols asks Norman out for a date, he blames Rod for setting them up. Rod did this so he can go out with Allison. When Betty finds out Rodney went out on a date with Allison, she is shocked. Meanwhile, George feels guilty about hitting his wife and tries to make up with her. Matthew visits Constance and urges her to tell the truth about her father. Meanwhile, at the party, Betty steals the attention from Rodney, which does not please Allison. She ends up dumping Rodney, after she sees Betty flirting with him.

Rodney makes up with Allison and they end up almost kissing, before they are interrupted. Meanwhile, George wants to make up with Julie and she purposes to go in therapy, which makes George angry.

Constance comes back from her night out with doctor Rossi and invites him in. Rodney thinks Allison is not interested in him. She ends up going home crying and blames her mother for her being afraid to love someone. The next day, doctor Rossi tells a shocked Betty she is pregnant. She next is afraid to tell her father. Julie forces her to tell Rod about the pregnancy. Meanwhile, Rodney invites Allison over for brunch. Michael is introduced to doctor Robert Morton. Norman is sad when he sees Rod and Allison together.

It's the yearly Peyton Place Founders Festival. Allison is at the Harrington house for a family brunch. Leslie finds out Catherine isn't feeling well. Rod tells Allison he loves her and they kiss. Meanwhile, Julie forces Betty to tell Rod about her pregnancy, but he doesn't want to talk to her. Catherine becomes suspicious of Leslie's long working hours and thinks he has an affair with Julie. They admit to each other they are unhappy. At the festival, Connie becomes jealous when she sees Michael with Laura. So is Betty, when she sees Rod with Allison.

Rossi intercepts Betty before she gets to Rodney and questions her intentions. Although she wants to be Rod's girl, Betty expresses reluctance in entrapping him. Later, Betty presses Leslie Harrington for the reason his son rejected her. Unwittingly, Leslie reveals that Betty's mother, Julie, was in the office with him when Rod came in on that fateful night. George Anderson speaks with Dr. Rossi about his medication. Rossi, more concerned with George's violence toward his wife, suggests psychiatric therapy. Leslie confesses his slip of tongue with Betty to Julie, who decides to resign from her position at the mill. Unhappy in his own marriage, Leslie is not yet ready to give up on Julie. Watching Rod and Allison dancing in the bandstand, Betty determines to make him aware of her pregnancy.

While the fireworks of the festival are shot in the air, Rodney and Allison kiss. They are interrupted by Betty, who says she wants to talk to Rod. Meanwhile, Constance joins Michael and Laura for dinner. While Rod is talking to Betty, Allison is being harassed by biker Jimmy. She is rescued by George, who then finds out she's dating with Rodney. When he gets home, Julie tells him she has quited her job. Back in the car, Betty asks Rod what his feelings for Allison are. She tells him she knows about the affair of Leslie and Julie and confronts him with her pregnancy. Rodney is shocked and decides to drive back to Peyton Place. On their way, they are hit by a truck. Rod struggles to get out of the car and Betty is unconscious.

Matthew tells to Allison and Constance, Rodney and Betty were involved in a car accident. He says Betty is badly injured and is in surgery in the hospital. When George finds out, he is enraged and takes out on Leslie, blaming his son Rodney for the cause. When Leslie confronts Rodney about the accidents, Rodney admits he planned to run away town with Allison, but can't anymore now because of Betty. Later, doctor Rossi doesn't want George around the recovering Betty. He leaves and demands Leslie to force Rodney to get back with Betty. Meanwhile, Matthew asks Allison not to call him uncle Matt anymore.

Doctor Rossi informs Julie and George that Betty had a miscarriage because of the car accident. Julie later visits her daughter and tells her George knows about the former pregnancy. Rodney tells Allison he has to be with Betty. Meanwhile, Leslie visits Betty and she gives him a hard time. She comes to his point and says he wants her to leave town and put the baby - he doesn't know about the miscarriage - up for adoption. She later tells to her dad about her conversation with Leslie and he swears revenge. Rodney drops in and suggests for them to marry. She knows he only does it because of the pregnancy. She accepts and doesn't tell him about her miscarriage.

Although Julie Anderson wanted her daughter to tell Rodney about the miscarriage, Betty plays out her deception and marries Rod before a Justice of the Peace in nearby White River. The following morning, Rod's conspicuous absence at the Harrington breakfast table alerts the family to the fact that he has eloped. Catherine Harrington is appalled that Leslie would allow the marriage to take place; Norman does his best to defend Betty. Leslie heads to the Anderson home to learn that Betty, too, is absent. George rants about their new relationship and his plans for starting an insurance business. When Leslie reveals that he offered Betty a way out of her predicament, George, constantly reliving his war experiences, strikes out at Leslie. His erratic behavior disgusts both Les and Julie.

Betty tells Allison she and Rodney are married. When she tells Constance, she is mad and wants to do something, but is stopped by Michael. Constance becomes mad at her. Before Rod and Betty go to the Harrington house to inform them about their marriage, they stop by the Andersons. Julie confronts her daughter with not telling about her miscarriage. Meanwhile, Catherine again confronts Leslie about his contacts with Julie. When Rodney and Betty arrive, Leslie welcomes Betty in their family. When Rodney is out to get some champagne, Leslie tells her he only married her because of the pregnancy.

Betty attempts niceties with her new mother-in-law, but Catherine is perfectly cold toward her. Norman uses his mother's illness as an excuse for her rude behavior. Betty pays a call on Dr. Rossi, who urges her to tell Rod the truth about the baby while, later, her father reassures her on her course of action. Having already made plans with Constance, Rossi declines a country club date with Laura Brooks, who observes them driving away. Constance is visibly upset when Rossi takes her to the old Carson cottage, which he has rented from Eli Carson, a bronchitis patient. Constance reveals that a woman was murdered in the cottage around the time of the war.

Leslie tells Betty he accepts her as a Harrington member. Next, doctor Morton comes over to check on the sick Catherine. She asks him to spy on Betty, whenever she visits the hospital. Meanwhile, George visits Leslie at work to come up and get Julie's stuff. He apologizes to Leslie about hitting him. He also tells him he is going to open his own agency. Leslie doesn't want to lose him as a salesman, but George declines. Michael asks Connie out on a date again and she accepts. Allison is being gossiped about by classmates. Robert runs into Matthew and tells him he has his doubts about doctor Rossi. He next goes to Michael and asks about Betty. Michael doesn't let go any information and threatens doctor Morton with his job when Robert says he thinks Betty is manipulative.

Eli Carson receives a special delivery letter and rushes to Dr. Rossi's office. He reveals that his son, who has been imprisoned for murdering his wife eighteen years ago, may soon be paroled. Elliot Carson has maintained his innocence all these years and is determined to prove it. Eli is concerned that Elliot may want to take possession of his old beach cottage which was recently rented to Rossi. Upon hearing of Elliot's imminent release, Constance confesses to Rossi that the photograph of Allison's father on the mantle is a fake; there never was a Mr. MacKenzie. Before going out of town, Dr. Morton pays a call to the Harrington home. While he doesn't reveal his knowledge to Catherine, he makes it obvious to Betty that he is aware of her deception. During his absence, Catherine takes a turn for the worse and Laura Brooks summons Dr. Rossi to the house.

Newlyweds Rod and Betty dine at the Inn with her parents, unaware of the drama being enacted at the Harrington home. With Dr. Morton away in Boston, Rossi attends to the ailing Catherine (Peyton) Harrington. A ruptured ulcer is his initial diagnosis, but Rossi takes her to the hospital for further tests. Morton calls Rossi at the hospital and insists the junior doctor await his return---since Catherine is his patient. As Catherine's condition worsens, and without any other available doctors to confirm his diagnosis, Rossi feels he must operate immediately. Leslie Harrington wavers over granting consent, prefering to wait for Morton.

Returning to the Harrington home following dinner with Betty's parents, Rodney learns that his mother has been rushed to the hospital. Betty, who has just had an argument with Rod, presses him to go without her. She packs a bag and heads for the bus station, but is ultimately dissuaded from leaving town by Allison MacKenzie. Believing Catherine can't wait for Morton's arrival at the hospital, Rossi once again pressures Leslie for permission to operate. Leslie reluctantly agrees. Midway through surgery, Morton arrives and causes commotion in the operating room by insisting he take over. Despite Rossi's efforts, Catherine Harrington expires. Learning of his wife's death, Leslie admits he should have waited for Morton, who denies Rossi's request for an autopsy and vows to run the younger doctor out of town.

Old Eli Carson suffers an angina attack in the town square and is attended to by Dr. Rossi, who instructs Laura to have Catherine Harrington's autopsy rescheduled. Chief of Staff Dr. Morton pulls rank and proceeds with the autopsy. Underage Norman Harrington is refused liquor at Ada's Tavern and proceeds to get into fisticuffs with some ""wharf rats"". Discovered by Rossi and the MacKenzie women, he accuses Rossi of allowing his mother to die. Allison comforts Norman and brings him to the Harrington home. Betty is unusually cordial towards Allison, thanking her for preventing her from leaving town and wondering if they could become friends. Driving Allison home, Rodney professes that his feelings toward her haven't changed; Allison later confesses the same emotions to her mother. When he returns home, Betty finally makes a full admission to an incredulous Rod regarding her deception about their baby.

After Mike talks to Connie, he returns to his office where Laura informs him a patient has backed out because of Catherine's death. Doctor Morton talks trash about Michael to Leslie, who sticks up for doctor Rossi. Meanwhile, Rodney tells his father Betty won't get a baby. He offers him to divorce her, but he responds it's more complicated. Betty interrupts them and tells Leslie she has hired a lawyer. At the same moment, Allison tells Matthew she doesn't want to write teen columns for him anymore and he responds she isn't allowed to miss another deadline anymore. Doctor Morton has arranged a meeting against doctor Rossi and when he walks in, Robert confronts him he should never have operated Catherine. Michael defends himself.

Leslie tells Betty to not make a big deal out of her future divorce with Rodney, but she tells him she isn't planning on divorcing his son. He then goes to her parents George and Julie to talk about the divorce, but he is annoyed with George, who thinks there is nothing Leslie can do. Meanwhile, Laura flirts with Mike, but he tells her that there is no future with the two of them together. At the same moment, Allison and Constance discuss about Mike being a suspect of Catherine's death. Robert talks to doctor Morton and he tells him the boarder has decided the operation was unnecessary and doctor Rossi will be fired. Doctor Rossi next gets mad at doctor Morton. When Constance talks to Matt, he tells her that Elliot Carson might be coming to Peyton Place because he is on parole.

Betty is still being looked down on by Leslie and now Rod also doesn't talk to her anymore. She has had enough and says she is to move back in with her parents again. He offers her money to leave town, but she rejects it. After he is convinced by Constance and Matthew, Rossi - who has recently lost his privileges at the hospital - pursues vindication of the charges against him. Meanwhile, the Harringtons are gathered when the will of Catherine is revealed. When attorney Theodore Dowell starts to read her will, he is called by William Kennerling, who has a codicil to the will.

William Kennedy comes to visit Leslie Harrington, while the will of Catherine is being read out loud. There are problems when it appears Martin Peyton, Catherine's father, is included in the will as well. George decides to also go the reading of the will. Meanwhile, Betty tells Julie Rodney has offered to pay her if she leaves town. She accuses Julie for not loving George, but Julie tells her she does love him. At the book store, Matt tells Constance he is to visit Elliot and that Elliot most likely will come to Peyton Place. Allison asks her about Elliot and Constance admits she doesn't want to see him again. Later, Constance is at Michael's place and he tells her he probably has to move if Elliot comes back, because he lives in Elliot's former house. He also makes clear he is thinking about moving back to New York City, but promises her he isn't going to leave. They kiss after wards. Meanwhile, Elliot is being annoyed by his prison mate and he threatens him.

Matt visits Elliot in prison, where Elliot makes it clear he is determined to return to Peyton Place and prove his innocence. Rodney flirts with Allison, but is embarrassed when they run into his ex-father-in-law George. George later goes to Mike after physically hurting Julie and asks for pills to prevent him of becoming violence. Meanwhile, Rodney has a fall out with Betty. Laura tells Mike Dr. Bradley was once a surgeon, after which Mike confronts him. Dr. Bradley lies to him and calls Dr. Morton.

Laura accepts a luncheon date with Dr. Joe Bradley. Laura's deceased husband, Donald Brooks, and Dr. Bob Morton assisted Bradley in his final surgery some five years ago. Her curiosity aroused by Bradley's inquiries regarding anything Donald may have told her about the surgery on Matthew Swain, Laura relays the conversation to Rossi. Rossi immediately questions Matthew, who reports that Morton attended to him after Bradley suffered some sort of illness. Excited that his son may be home for the holidays, Eli shares the news with Constance---who is guardedly enthusiastic. Losing another client sets George Anderson on a drinking binge, prompting Julie to go to the Mill to persuade Leslie to reinstate her husband. When she returns home George, who had followed his wife to the Mill, physically attacks Julie. In the act of defending herself, Julie knocks George unconscious.

When help is looked for, Mike turns to the Anderson home. He soon worries about the domestic violence. George is taken to the Doctor's Hospital, where Mike and Dr. Morton anger each other about who is in charge. Julie temporarily stays at the MacKenzie house. Here, she is visited by her daughter Betty, who blames her for the situation. Bradley seeks out Morton and reveals that he lied about the Harrington autopsy out of a sense of obligation to Morton for having saved his career after the Swain surgery. Morton sends Bradley into "hiding".

Norman overhears Leslie urging Dr. Morton to proclaim Catherine incompetent when she ordered the codicil to her will, but he refuses to. Laura tries to help Mike out in the hospital, but he feels manipulated into spending time with her. Matthew stresses Connie when he tells her Elliot has his parole hearing tomorrow. Norman asks Allison out on a date and she accepts. Dr. Morton comes to Dr. Rossi's office and admits Michael was right and he was wrong and promises him he will reinstate him at the hospital and make a public apology.

Rossi tells George that Julie is temporarily staying with Connie Mackenzie, while Julie reveals to Leslie that she is leaving George. Leslie offers Julie her old job back at the mill, but she refuses, stating that it won't solve anything. Later, George informs Julie that he will not give her a divorce. Allison asks Connie about the town in Scotland where her ""father"" was born. Connie wants Allison to attend college away from Peyton Place, but Allison reminds her that it's too late to enroll anywhere else for the winter semester. Eli meets Elliot at the state prison as the parole hearing begins.

It's now winter and Allison tells her mother she doesn't think Elliot Carson has murdered his wife. When Betty visits Julie at the MacKenzie house, Julie tells her she is going to leave George. Later, Betty goes to her drunk father and he calls her Julie. Connie reveals to Mike that Elliot is Allison's biological father. Betty talks to Rodney and finally realizes that there is no love between them. Rodney offers her the divorce. She decides to leave town, but is stopped by Allison. She is not able to change Betty's minds and promises her she won't tell anyone about seeing her there.

Everyone is worried with Betty's sudden disappearance. Leslie and Rod hire a private detective, who claims to have seen her in a hotel called Quincy. While Rodney feels guilty and is sad, Leslie is delighted because he thinks a divorce can be final because of her "desertion". Mike and Connie grow more to each other. Laura tells Leslie that she thinks the family is no good. George visits Julie at the MacKenzie house. She tells him Betty has been gone for a while. Meanwhile, Allison admits to Rodney she saw Betty leave by bus. They are interrupted by George, who threatens to kill Rodney if Betty doesn't show up anytime soon. In the ending, a free Elliot Carson enters Peyton Place.

Elliot arrives in Peyton Place and first visits his father. Betty phones her mother to insure her that she is safe in New York. Allison prepares to sign up for Peyton College. Later, she meets up with Rodney and tells him Betty is in New York, but doesn't want to be found. Rod is annoyed by his feelings, because he is in love with his wife, but now also finds himself attracted to Allison. Afterwards, Allison has a polite talk with Elliot Carson. George later has a confrontation with Leslie, when he turns to the Mill and thinks he still works there for Leslie. When he arrives at his current job, his boss Mr. King demands his rent. George doesn't have the money and promises to give it to him later. After Mr. King leaves, George locks himself up in his office and pulls out a loaded gun.

It is midnight and George is still in his office with his gun. Julie and Connie are informed by Mr. King. Meanwhile, Elliot and Mike meet each other for the first time. Later, Mike and Julie arrive at George's office. When they hear a gunshot, it is Elliot who talks himself in the office. He hits George in the head and takes away his gun. He finally gives himself in to Mike and apologizes to Julie for his behavior. Mike tells Julie George is manic-depressive. Afterwards, Elliot meets Connie in her book store and asks her not to be afraid of him. She also tells him she doesn't want to tell the truth to Allison.

Elliot bonds with Allison when they talk about their love for writing. Later, Leslie offers Elliot a job at the mill, but he responses in-politely and refuses. Meanwhile, Laura resigns as Mike's secretary. Norman brags to Rodney that he has a date with Allison. Laura says to Mike she intends to make a world trip with his money. Allison asks Matt if she can use his archive to find information on Elliott. Elliot and Eli meet up with boarding house landlady Mrs. Hewitt. Elliott feels accused by her of his supposed murder on his wife. She apologizes and promises to make up with him. When she leaves, Elliott finds out his father thinks he actually did kill Elizabeth.

In New York, Betty applies at an employment agency, but refuses to tell where she is from. She is suggested to go back to Peyton Place. She is emotional and runs into Sharon Purcell, who offers Betty a helping hand. Back in Peyton Place, Laura is about to leave Peyton Place and gets drunk. Elliot goes to the Ada's Tavern, where Ada suggests him to leave the past behind after he asks her who Elizabeth's secret lover was. Elliott tells her he can't rest until he finds out who really killed Elizabeth. When Rodney tries to talk with Allison, she brushes him off. Connie sees this and asks him to leave Allison alone. At the library, Allison runs into Elliott. They talk about their love for poetry.

Connie and Allison are disappointed when Julie tells them she is ready to go to her own house. George is in therapy by Dr. Kessler. Mike asks Julie if she wants to be his secretary, since his latest secretary Laura has left for Europe. Julie agrees to consider his offer. Allison enrolls in Peyton College. When Rodney runs into Allison, he admits Connie has asked him not to hang out with her anymore. Meanwhile, Betty has befriended Sharon and they go out to shop for expensive clothes. When Elliot tries to refill the prescription of his father Eli, he is customized by Calvin Hanley, Elizabeth's father. He swears he didn't kill his daughter. At the moment Julie is leaving for dinner with Leslie, she gets a phone call from Betty. However, she has just left when the phone rings.

Elliot runs into Elizabeth's younger brother Paul Hanley on the streets of Peyton Place. Having studied in Cambridge, Paul has returned to teach at Peyton College. They discuss Elizabeth's death. Paul assures Elliot that his testimony alone did not convict Elliot of murder and repeats his claim that he heard Elliot arguing with Elizabeth right before the murder. Julie is cross with Rodney for his treatment of her absent daughter. In New York, Sharon reveals that her roommate Libby is sailing around the Greek isles and probably won't return for some time. Sharon asks Betty to stay in her apartment while Libby is gone. Betty makes herself at home in the luxurious surroundings. Allison meets Paul at the Book Gallery and notes that he is one of her professors for the spring semester. Afterward, Elliot arrives, and then Dr. Rossi comes in with news that Eli is in need of a gall bladder operation.

After talking to Paul, Allison goes to the pharmacy, where Calvin tells her make-up will make her look cheap. Matt walks in and Calvin tells him he is certain Elliot has killed Elizabeth. When Betty and Sharon are catching up, Betty tells she won't return to Peyton Place. Michael tells Connie he isn't glad with Elliot in town. When Allison arrives at home, she tells about her hanging out with Paul. Connie tells her she wants her to see more people of her own age. Meanwhile, Elliot visits his father at the hospital. He tells him he is going to be operated. In New York, Sharon admits she sometimes feels empty inside when her married lover leaves for his family. They are phoned by him and he asks Betty out on a date. She reacts with hesitation, but accepts.

After he appears bearing the gift of a sweater for Allison, Connie reminds Elliot that Allison never wanted for anything as a child. Later, Connie and Rossi's nice evening is ruined when they argue about Connie's possessiveness toward Allison. Leslie receives a note to call private detective Blaine in New York. At Sharon's apartment, Betty meets Sharon's married lover Phil and Phil's friend Roy Roberts, who has flown in from Amsterdam. Roy flirts with Betty who pretends to enjoy martinis straight-up. When they return to the apartment alone later that night, Roy thinks a coy Betty is playing ""hard to get"", and he pursues her very aggressively. A terrified Betty screams in terror. Suddenly understanding that she really isn't a sophisticated woman, Roy tenderly allays her fears. As he leaves the apartment, Roy urges Betty to return to Peyton Place and gives her money for bus fare home, unaware that the elevator operator has witnessed the transaction.

Betty answers the phone in Sharon's apartment and speaks to Sharon's mother. Betty realizes that Sharon isn't much different from herself, a small-town girl with very humble origins. Betty phones Julie, who reveals that George has suffered a nervous breakdown and is confined to Greenvale Sanitarium. Sharon comes home to find Betty packing a suitcase. Sharon begs Betty not to leave as she has grown very fond of her, but Betty insists she has to return to Peyton Place. Paul and Calvin Hanley have an awkward father/son moment. Calvin reassures Paul that he did the right thing by testifying against Elliot in the murder trial. Connie gives Allison the sweater Elliot bought for her. Elliot encounters Norman, Allison, and Paul skating at Baker's Pond. Julie phones Rodney with news that Betty is coming home, but Leslie warns him that Blaine has information about Betty's escapades in New York.

Rodney visits Betty at the Anderson home and offers to help her anyway he can. Connie drives Elliot to the hospital where Eli is having gallbladder surgery. Connie confesses to Elliot that she met Dr. Rossi when he interned at the New York hospital where she gave birth to Allison. Matt regrets not seeing Eli before the surgery, and admits to Connie that too many of his friends have died. They later learn that Eli has survived the surgery. Rossi takes Betty to see George at the sanitarium, but George is unresponsive to Betty's presence. On the drive back to Peyton Place, Betty relates her experiences in New York to Rossi, telling him that Roy gave her bus fare home. Rossi drops Betty off at the Peyton Mills, where Leslie watches her ruefully from the window.

Betty meets Leslie at the Mill and offers to annul her marriage to Rodney in exchange for Leslie's promise to pay George's medical fees. Leslie agrees to the deal. After Betty leaves, Detective Blaine brings his report about Betty's friendship with Sharon Purcell. Leslie locks the report in his desk without reading the details. Allison receives a portrait of herself sent by a secret admirer. Betty drops by the Harrington mansion to retreive her belongings. She and Rodney have a pleasant meeting that ends with Rodney kissing her. Allison meets Paul at a Peyton College art exhibit and realizes that he was responsible for her portrait. Rodney spars with Paul, obviously jealous that Paul seems interested in Allison. Elliot demands that Connie face the past and asks how she feels about him now. They argue, and Elliot breaks the photo of the fake ""Mr. Mackenzie"" that sits on the fireplace mantel.

Paul drives Allison home. Elliot is just walking away from the MacKenzie home and gets a lift from Paul. Elliot thinks he is persuading her and reminds him Allison is only 18. Paul confronts him with his past, which makes Elliot angry. The next day, Betty runs into Allison in Calvin's shop. Betty admits she's ending her marriage with Rod. When they leave, Paul bumps into them and is introduced to Betty. He walks into the shop and confronts his father with giving him the idea Elliot has killed Elizabeth. Meanwhile, doctor Rossi advices Elliot for Eli to move to a warmer climate to improve his health. Elliot reminds him he doesn't have any money for his father to move. At Peyton Mills, Leslie is visited by Matt. Matt is the executor of Catherine's will and reminds him Catherine wanted the mill to be owned by her father Martin Peyton. They are interrupted by doctor Wainwright, who has information about Catherine knowing he was unfaithful to his wife.

Leslie gives Rodney a copy of Detective Blaine's report on Betty, but Rodney rips it up without reading it. Connie celebrates her birthday. Connie declines Elliot's dinner offer as she already has plans with Rossi. Rodney attempts to return a strand of pearls to Betty. When he mentions the Blaine report, she accuses him of being as manipulative as his father, prompting Rodney to slap her. Betty states that there's hope for him if he takes a comparison to Leslie as an insult. Later, while stopping to visit Julie at Rossi's office, Betty assists Rossi with an injured young patient. Allison wants to attend a New York field trip being chaperoned by Paul. Over dinner, Connie admits to Rossi that if Elliot actually killed Elizabeth; she's to blame. Allison finds a book of poetry that Elliot left as a gift for Connie. Connie refuses to grant permission for Allison's trip to New York with Paul. Allison reminds her mother that Connie went to New York when she was Allison's age.

Allison wishes Eli a bon voyage before his trip to Florida. Elliot reveals to Eli that Allison is his granddaughter, the product of his affair with Connie 18 years ago. Allison argues with Connie about the New York trip and laments to Matt that she has a right to know what happened to her mother there so many years ago. Robert Wainwright, Martin Peyton's lawyer, questions Elliot about the murder of Elizabeth and asks if Elliot knows the identity of the man Elizabeth was seeing. Elliot says he doesn't, then asks if Wainwright knows. Leslie and attorney Theodore Dowell talk about Les' relationship with Elizabeth. Later, Leslie denies to Elliot that he and Elizabeth were having an affair. Rossi finds a drunken Paul Hanley lurking outside his cottage. Paul reveals that his late sister lived there 18 years ago. When Elliot arrives, Paul nervously excuses himself and quickly leaves.

Julie is apprehensive when the sanitarium psychiatrist suggests George have a trial visit to Peyton Place. Elliot informs Dr. Rossi that he intends to take possession of the cottage again. Leslie gives Julie a copy of Blaine's report on Betty. Julie ends her relationship with Leslie. Betty and Rodney meet with the attorney to dissolve their marriage. Matt urges Constance to tell Allison the truth about her parentage. Elliot warns Allison to stay away from Paul Hanley.

Elliot tells Calvin Hanley that he knows Elizabeth was seeing Leslie when she was murdered. Later, Calvin visits Leslie, who admits that Catherine wrote a letter to Martin Peyton that detailed Leslie's affair with Elizabeth. Paul attempts to persuade Constance into granting permission for Allison to attend the New York field trip, but she refuses. Elliot warns Connie that Paul is suspicious about what happened 18 years ago. After a visit from Leslie's attorney, Calvin collapses and dies.

Betty and Rodney's marriage is annulled. Rossi suggests to Julie that Betty might consider training as a nurse's aide. Leslie and Norman argue about Leslie's intent to prove Catherine was incompetent when she added the codicil to her will. While disposing of Calvin's effects, Paul finds a trunk hidden in a closet.

Betty interviews with Nurse Choate at Doctor's Hospital, but Choate is skeptical about Betty's commitment to nursing. Allison offers Paul sympathy over his father's death, though Paul is unmoved. Rodney tells Allison that his marriage is legally over, and he wants to see her again. Paul finds a diary in Calvin's trunk and secretly leaves it in Elliot's cottage. Elliot discovers the diary wrapped in an 18 year-old newspaper announcing the murder of Elizabeth Hanley Carson.