For Louie's birthday, his grandma gives him a sweater which she made for him. While trying to write the thank-you letter, Louie decides to instead play with his friends. When he finally writes the letter, he finds out that his grandma has died.
Louie gets a pet goldfish, Pepper, after his sweetheart, Jeannie, announces she and her family are moving away. Louie has to contend with that, along with his visiting grandmother and cantankerous father.
A tornado attacks the Cedar Knoll which makes Louie afraid of the tornado, so he stays in his room and doesn't want to leave until the cow, which was trapped on a tree because of the tornado, confronts him.
Louie learns he's talented in playing chess that he joins a chess competition. When Andy confronts him about people laughing at the chess players, Louie decides to disguise himself as the Masked Chess Boy.
When Andy's Rambler gets damaged, Ora decides to buy him a new car for his birthday. After Andy complains and returns the car, Louie fixes the Rambler with the help of a repair man named Smitty.
An Anderson family Thanksgiving is nothing short of a catastrophe, Andy's well-off brother in-law shows off, the turkey taking too long to cook, and on top of everything else, Louie must write an essay on the true meaning of Thanksgiving.