Advice column author Debbie Mullen navigates awkward conversations with her teenage daughters, Lexi and Izzy. Lexi, a senior, is embarrassed by everything her mother does, while Debbie worries that Lexi’s boyfriend Zane is bad news. Izzy, a sophomore, admits that she has been kicked off the soccer team, but refuses to explain why, begging her mother not to contact her coach. Lexi hints that Coach Price acts inappropriately with players.

As Debbie waits for journalists to arrive to photograph her garden, she sees a neighbor approaching.

Debbie is confronted by her obnoxious neighbor, Brett Carlson, who works from home and plays music loud enough to disturb the rest of the neighborhood. Brett accuses Debbie of cutting his circuit breaker in order to stop him from playing his music. Debbie denies everything, but delights in upsetting her neighbor. She insists that she isn’t smart enough to know how to sabotage his electrical system and that she is only a housewife. Brett reluctantly leaves after vowing to prove Debbie’s involvement.

Debbie receives a call from her boss, Garrett, the new editor-in-chief of the Hingham Household, the newspaper where Debbie’s advice column is published. Garrett asks her to come into the office to discuss something, but won’t provide details. Debbie agrees to come in later that afternoon.

She makes breakfast for her husband Cooper, who is anxious about his career and planning to ask to be made partner in his accounting firm. Debbie encourages him to be confident.

Cooper reflects that his wife is good at everything she does. He worries that his boss, Ken Bryant, is going to reject his request to be made partner. Cooper eats quickly, anxious that his wife saw him reject a call from another woman. He wonders why the unidentified woman would call when he’s at home. Cooper is hurt to find that Debbie forgot to pack him a lunch.

On the way to his car, Cooper is confronted by Brett Carlson, who again accuses Debbie of sabotaging his electricity.

A letter writer complains that her husband refuses to compromise about their differing tastes in music. The husband insists that since he is the primary earner in the family, he deserves to choose the music they listen to. Debbie suggests that the couple find an artist they both like. Failing that, she suggests that the wife drug her husband and stab a needle in his eardrum in order to make him deaf.

Debbie waits anxiously for reporters from Home Gardening, who are coming to shoot photos of her garden. When the reporters are 25 minutes late, Debbie calls her contact at the magazine, who reveals that they decided to cancel Debbie’s shoot and photograph the garden of her neighbor, Jo Dolan, instead. Debbie tries to drink away her sorrows, but discovers that her wine has been replaced with water. She assumes Zane is responsible.

Debbie angrily leaves to confront Jo Dolan, whose house is on the same block at the bottom of a hill. Debbie knows that Jo is unmarried with no children or pets, and that her only joy is her rose garden. When Debbie confronts her, Jo gleefully admits that she invited the reporters from Home Gardening to see her garden the same day they visited Debbie’s garden. Debbie warns Jo that karma will come for her. Jo slams the door in her face.

Debbie visits her local gardening store in search of Japanese beetle traps. The store owner laments that Japanese beetles are a scourge on local rose plants. Debbie buys trap refills, which will attract the beetles, but not the trap itself. She grows increasingly irritated as she waits 20 minutes in line to check out. When a woman tries to cut in line in front of Debbie, she threatens to physically remove the woman from the line.

Debbie stops at her gym for a quick workout, which she hopes will help fix her terrible day. She is greeted by Harley Sibbern, a trainer who has become one of Debbie’s only real friends. Debbie privately believes that Harley is too cool to hang out with her, but treasures their friendship. She reminds Harley about their upcoming book club meeting, hiding the fact that she secretly hates attending the meetings on her own. Harley reminds Debbie that she is allergic to avocado.

At his office, Cooper worries that Debbie deserves better than him, reflecting on the mess that was his life before he met Debbie. His friend and colleague Jesse encourages him to walk into the meeting with confidence.

Cooper’s boss, Ken Bryant, immediately rejects his request to be made partner, arguing that Cooper lacks leadership skills. When Cooper threatens to quit, Ken accepts his resignation. Horrified, Cooper agrees to complete two more weeks of work. He worries that Debbie will be furious with him.

Harley meets Debbie at her house before book club, which is at Debbie’s neighbor Rochelle’s house. Harley comments on the size of Debbie’s house and suggests that Debbie is lucky to have a man to pay her bills.

At book club, Rochelle is condescending and rude towards Debbie and Harley. Debbie brings avocado sandwiches, which Harley cannot eat because of her allergy. Debbie is pleased that the other women eat the sandwiches.

Harley is repulsed by Rochelle, Tabitha, and Sloane, the wealthy members of Debbie’s book club. She cannot understand why Debbie, whom she finds sweet but ditzy, is friends with the others. Led by the pretentious Rochelle, the other women bully Debbie, suggesting that she isn’t smart enough to understand the book because she didn’t finish college. The women begin to kick her out of the club, but stop when all three become violently ill.

As Harley and Debbie leave, Harley suggests that the sandwiches might have caused food poisoning. Debbie seems perplexed by the idea.

A letter writer complains that, although her husband makes a lot of money, he requires her to live on a shoestring budget, providing an allowance to spend on both household food and her own needs. She asks for advice on convincing her husband to let her get a job. Debbie’s response is heavily edited. In the original draft, she encourages the writer to poison her husband, and offers to send private advice about which chemicals to use. In the edited version, she encourages divorce and offers to send advice about lawyers.

Debbie is shocked to find the offices of the Hingham Household empty. Her boss, Garrett, tells her that the husband of a recent letter writer is suing the newspaper after his wife followed Debbie’s advice to divorce him. Debbie argues that her advice was good, given the husband’s financial abuse of his wife. Garrett insists that the Hingham Household is a family newspaper and fires Debbie. As she packs up her desk, Debbie realizes that she is taking something of value.

Debbie returns home and begins baking brownies. Her daughter, Izzy, arrives home from school, and Debbie is relieved when she shows no interest in the brownies. Izzy insists that she quit the soccer team because she was overwhelmed by schoolwork, and that she was not kicked off the team like Lexi claimed. She begs her mother again not to contact Coach Price. Debbie promises not to call the coach, but privately decides to visit him in person.