Since 4 year-old Charlie Poleski's dad Matt's death while on police duty, he has been common working mother Emma's pride and joy. She messes up the first meeting with his girlfriend Lauren Winslow's rich, posh parents, because of her recurring drinking problem. Charlie single-handedly get her sober and into AA, just in time to stand a chance of keeping her office job. Charlie's father's police friend, Richard Warren, becomes her lover and his mentor. Alas, Chad and Lauren also find themselves in another tough situation which changes everything.