Joan Clayton (Tracee Ellis Ross) is at the great peak of her life. She is almost 30, is almost junior partner at her law firm, and has a great friend circle. She hires a woman named Maya Wilkes (Golden Brooks) as her assistant, and has had a friendship with one of her colleagues, William (Reggie Hayes), for over three months. But Joan is going crazy that she hasn't had a man for a year and her plan was to be married by now. Her friends, egotistical Toni Childs (Leslie Silva), and lazy 27-year-old college student named Lynn (Christina Cox), have to cheer Joan up and get her a man, with the help of Maya whom Toni calls "ghetto".

Joan and William vie for a senior partner position, and are shocked when the firm instead brings in an outsider, Sharon Upton Farley (Anne-Marie Johnson). They plan to demonstrate their outrage by walking out, but only one of them follows through with it. Meanwhile, Lynn and Maya help Toni deal with her fears after Todd asks her to take an HIV test.

Joan's cousin Melanie Barnett (Tia Mowry), an aspiring med student, wants to give up her future for a pro athlete.

Maya moves into her new home, Toni and Todd try to come to a settlement, William pursues Monica, Joan attends an A-list party but makes a dramatic fool of herself, and Lynn writes a song revolving around the girls and how the four are drifting apart.

Worried about William's state after his breakup with Monica, Maya, Joan and Lynn go to Chicago to persuade Monica to get back together with William. When they arrive, they soon discover that Monica has been cut off from her family fortune, so Joan offers Monica a job at the J-Spot. Later, Williams is thrilled that Monica is back until she demands half of what he earned while they were together.

Joan unexpectedly proposes to Aaron, but when he stumbles on his response, Joan decides the relationship is over and walks away. Meanwhile Maya and Darnell find their dream house, but when Darnell gets a chance to buy the garage, he must decide which purchase to make.