The house is up for sale, but Sheila had had second thoughts. She decides to take in lodgers to help with the mortgage: Carol (a fellow art student of daughter Monica) and Chris (an unsuccessful DJ).
Sheila has a meeting with her bank manager who says that she faces repossession. To remedy this she takes in two more lodgers: Hamish (an airline steward) and Henry (a medical student). Her friend Richard agrees to stand as her guarantor.
Chris is unhappy that Hamish is moving into his room as he fears that Hamish is gay. Sheila gets fired from her job, but is hired by Richard to type his latest novel. Later, Hamish plays up to Chris's fears, much to his unease.
Sheila needs to pay her electricity bill and latest bank installment. Chris needs money also and attempts to sell his van. Sheila raises the money and he drives her to the bank. Her bank manager crashes into Chris's van and so he gains on insurance.
Hamish, a budding chef, cooks a meal for the housemates. Richard, eager to help Sheila financially, pays a woman to hire her typing services. Sheila is furious when she finds out, but they make up as they all enjoy Hamish's meal.
Chris gets a 'high profile' job as a male model. Carol falls for Henry, while Henry falls for Monica. Richard proposes to Sheila but she turns him down. Later, while watching TV, the housemates discover that Chris's modelling job was for a tacky advertisement.
Now down to just one lodger (Henry), Sheila must find another. Henry has a crush on Monica, much to her annoyance. To help, Sheila manages to talk him out of it, but Henry then falls for Sheila. Richard writes to say that he has proposed to another woman.
New lodger Candi moves in. Monica becomes jealous at the attention she gets from Sheila. In temper, Monica threatens to move out and to spend the night in a seedy bar. Sheila goes to rescue her but is arrested when the bar is raided by Police.
Monica is depressed that none of her art college paintings have sold. Sheila secretly buys one, but Monica finds out and is furious. Meanwhile, a cat the housemates have adopted has kittens.
Sheila is dreading an old schoolmate visiting as she has always been made feel inferior to her. On the day after a lot of panic, her husband shows up to say that she can't make it due to a migraine, but he tells her that she has always been jealous of Sheila.
In search of another lodger, Sheila decides to take in an ex-convict, Frankie. The others are not so happy about this, but soon warm to him.
Alerted by a prowler outside, Sheila calls the Police. The Officer takes a shine to her and they go out on a date. Sheila finds him boring and tries to avoid him, but to her relief he tells her his estranged wife has returned. The prowler turns out to be a stray fox.