Brenda drives her parents crazy with her constant sulking and sneaks around with Dylan behind their backs. Dylan wants someone other than Jim to handle his trust, but Jim refuses to break his deal with Iris. Jim and Cindy join the beach club and catch Brenda making out with Dylan. Jim screams at Brenda and makes a scene. She packs up her belongings and moves in with Dylan. Brandon bets Steve that he cannot hold down a job for a week. Steve takes Brandon’s position at the Peach Pit, as Brandon has left for his summer job at the club. Nat fires Steve because he is completely incompetent. Brandon is wary of Andrea’s new job as a children’s camp counselor at the beach club. However, she has gotten over her crush on him and is seeing a successful West Beverly alum. Donna’s parents get back together. Jackie goes into labor.

Dylan persuades Brenda to go because he believes it is a great opportunity for her. Jim makes amends with Brenda before she and Donna leave for Paris. Steve and Brandon get dates with visiting identical twins. Steve's date experiences a series of health problems (food poisoning, allergies), so he tries to dump her for her sister. The girls switch places to get revenge on him.

Brenda and Donna have difficulty adjusting to life in France. Donna constantly complains about missing David, and Brenda soon begins to long for Dylan. They accidentally order brains at a restaurant, and Donna later spends an entire party eating pastries because she can't carry on a conversation in French.

Donna is struggling in the French immersion program, and feels left out because Brenda and her classmates can speak fluent French. Donna catches the eye of a photographer, who offers her a modeling job. A man tries to entice Donna into signing a two-year modeling contract, but he's just trying to get her into bed. Steve finds the perfect partner for the mixed doubles volleyball tournament. He is hurt when she rejects his romantic advances and pursues Brandon. Kelly and Dylan team up for the volleyball tournament, and also babysit Erin together. A visiting girl expresses an interest in David and his music. Kelly catches them making out, and tries to talk some sense into David. Kelly finds Dylan waiting in her cabin.

Kelly feels guilty about kissing Dylan and tries to avoid him. She goes to his house to admit her feelings, and they share a passionate kiss. They spend a lot of time together, but reconsider their actions when David catches them kissing. Kelly turns down Dylan's offer to camp out on the beach (the night before Brenda is to return), but eventually joins him for a romantic evening. Brenda meets Rick, a hunky college student from Wisconsin who believes that she is French. She takes him on a tour of Paris, and kisses him during a dinner date. Rick asks Brenda to join him on a backpacking trip across Europe. She risks missing her plane to see him one last time, but he gets in a cab before she can catch him. Brandon tries to help a homeless Gulf War veteran who is living on the beach. He arranges a job interview with Henry, but the man doesn't show up. Steve wants to manage David's music career.

Andrea and the children nearly catch Dylan and Kelly sleeping on the beach. Kelly tells Dylan that they must forget their summer romance, but he doesn’t want to do this. Brenda and Donna come home from Paris and are greeted with a party. Jim and Cindy agree to let Brenda resume her relationship with Dylan. Kelly tries to avoid Brenda and Dylan, and is annoyed when he continually inquires about her well-being. Brenda suspects that Dylan cheated on her. She confesses her fling with Rick, but they decide to move forward with their relationship. Brandon dumps Brooke because of her constant stereotypical comments about other races and religions. In danger of being fired as David’s manager, Steve engages in bribery to get him a gig at the beach club’s end-of-season dance.

Brenda, Steve, and Donna sign up to be "senior buddies" for freshmen and transfer students. Donna is paired with David's summer fling Nikki, who has moved from San Francisco. David is afraid to confess to Donna, but Nikki inadvertently breaks the news. Donna tests David's love by having Nikki pretend to come on to him.

Brenda, Donna, Kelly, Steve and David prepare to take the SAT. Brenda constantly argues with Kelly, and also gets into hot water with her parents when they learn that she has been smoking since the Paris trip. Beth Nielson, a young producer from the tabloid show Back Story, seeks Brenda's help in putting together a story about Beverly Hills teens. The piece is intended to correct misconceptions, but Beth's boss deems it boring. She re-edits the story in a way that makes it seem that Brenda insulted and spilled dirt about all her friends. Everyone stops talking to Brenda, but Beth (who has quit her job in a crisis of conscience) comes to her defense. Brandon is hesitant to ask out Nikki because she is just a sophomore. She gets on his nerves by following him everywhere, but they eventually kiss. Dylan decides to bypass the SAT to visit his father in prison. Jack warns Dylan to make provisions for his future, and convinces him to take the test at a nearby high school. A West Beverly graduate offers Steve a master key to the school.

Brandon and Brenda are at each other's throats after their parents reveal that they can only send one child to an out-of-state college. Jim and Cindy decide to take a second mortgage so that they won't have to play favorites, but Brandon and Brenda each decide to apply to local California University. Brenda fears that she and Dylan are growing apart, while he and Kelly bond over their mutual ambivalence toward college. Andrea believes that Gil is discouraging her from applying to his alma mater (and her dream school), Yale. She has nightmares about Gil trying to knock her off a tightrope. Mrs. Teasley tells Steve that he doesn't have the grades to attend USC. He accepts the legacy key, but finds that it does not work. The janitor catches Steve trying to steal a master key, then sells it to him. Donna's art teacher raves about her talent and encourages her to apply to art school. David accidentally sees Kelly naked, and can't get the image out of his mind.

West Beverly's undefeated football team prepares for a showdown with powerhouse Shaw High. The school decides to forfeit after two Shaw students are shot to death by gang members during a game. Brandon is furious because the West Beverly student body cares more about the homecoming dance (coordinated by Brenda) than the shootings. He and Jordan Bonner, editor of the Shaw paper, run each other's editorials in their papers without school permission. Brandon invites the Shaw students to the dance, drawing the wrath of his friends and the administration. A fight nearly breaks out--partially due to the overzealous security guards--but Nikki and Donna defuse the situation by asking the Shaw guys to dance. Dylan cheers up Kelly after her irresponsible father fails to show for dinner. David plays the school dance, but Donna fears that Sue has become his groupie. David rejects Sue's advances out of loyalty to Scott and Donna.

Gil is relieved of his duties after Sue charges him with sexual harassment. Andrea offers her friendship to Sue, while Brandon stands behind Gil. Gil quits without fighting the charges; he confesses to Andrea that a former student committed suicide when he rejected her advances, and he does not want to drive Sue over the edge.

Brenda runs into Rick at a video store, as he has transferred to UCLA. She goes out with him and continues to pretend that she is French. He is understanding when she finally reveals the truth. The SAT review board accuses Dylan of paying someone to take his test. He annoys Brenda by refusing to re-take the test. After Dylan confesses that he had a summer fling, Brenda suggests that they take a break from their relationship. He immediately visits Kelly to ask her out, and they kiss passionately. Steve learns that he tanked his SAT, and convinces computer expert Herbert to help him access the school's grade bank. They use the legacy key to break in, but have to flee when the security breach is detected. Brandon, Nikki, Donna and David are interviewed by Rosie O'Donnell at a televised AIDS benefit. Donna seeks her priest's advice about pre-marital sex. She tells David that she wants to wait at least another year. Andrea suffers two broken legs when she is struck by a hit-and-run driver.

When Brenda insists that Dylan is free to date, he takes her word for it and decides to take Kelly out for a night on the town. But Brenda explodes when she and Rick run into Dylan and Kelly at a restaurant. Apparently, Dylan is allowed to date whomever he wants... but Kelly isn’t. After all, she and Brenda are supposed to be best friends. When Kelly denies that she is a bimbo, Brenda responds, "I was always told that if it looks like a duck and it walks like a duck..." After Brenda leaves, Kelly concludes that Dylan is on the rebound, so she puhes him away. Brenda breaks up with Rick because they have little in common beyond their initial attraction. After the SAT board denies his appeal, a frustrated Dylan decides to leave town. Steve provides assistance to the wheelchair-bound Andrea in the hopes of curtailing her investigation of the computer break-in. Cindy suspects that Jim’s beautiful new secretary is attracted to him, and Jim finds himself fantasizing about the woman.

On the road, Dylan finds comfort with Anne, a wealthy heiress living at a remote ranch in northern California after his car breaks down. Back in Beverly Hills, Brandon learns first-hand about Nikki's abusive past when her musician ex-boyfriend, Diesel, suddenly shows up and gets between them. Donna unsuccessfully tries to repair Brenda and Kelly's damaged friendship. After Steve is threatened by Hutchins, he unsuccessfully tries to bride his way from the trouble he's in by trying to get Herbert to take the heat.

A rainy Thanksgiving brings uneasy get togetherness when Brandon brings over Jack Canner, the homeless man he tried to help out the previous summer, after Nikki leaves town to visit her parents in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Steve, now expelled from school, joins his mother for a TV shoot in Santa Barbara to some time break his bad news to her. But Samantha Sanders actually sticks up for Steve and gets him conditionally readmitted to West Beverly. Also, Dylan brings his father home for Thanksgiving and must cope with his presence and his new girlfriend Christine

Two talking stars narrate an account of the gang's events during the week before Christmas. Brenda, Kelly and Dylan decide to be friends, but the arrangement falls apart after both girls make out with Dylan. Andrea is accepted to Yale, but gets dumped by her boyfriend. Nikki tells Brandon that she is moving back to San Francisco. Brandon and Andrea share a kiss while watching "It's a Wonderful Life," but accuse each other of thinking about their exes. David is depressed about his mother's move to Portland and the fact that he will be left behind when everyone graduates. Everyone tries to back out of a trip to distribute gifts at an elementary school, but Donna and Mrs. Teasley force them to attend. Steve, who is forbidden from extracurricular activities as part of his probation, drives to the school on his own. The talking stars must prevent a fatal accident involving the school bus and a drunken garbage man, but divine intervention seems their only hope.

Steve becomes friends with a guy in detention through their interest in cars. Steve and Brandon win a lot of money betting on Joe in a car race, but Dylan warns that the whole thing may be a scam. Steve and Brandon agree to bankroll Joe in a high-stakes race against drug dealer Frank Padilla. Brandon realizes that their opponent may be the guy who ran over Andrea. While Brandon contacts the police, Steve tries to stall by insisting that he be allowed to race Padilla. The two get into an argument and agree to a deadly game of "chicken," but Dylan comes between them. Andrea identifies Padilla as the hit-and-run driver. Brenda and Kelly agree to a double-date with two guys from Princeton, only to find that they are geeks from the Princeton School in Encino. Donna takes over David’s radio show while he tries to catch up on his studies in the hopes of graduating early. David is initially critical of her performance, but acknowledges that she did well and asks her to become his permanent co-host.

Cindy, Jackie, and the girls spend the weekend at a health spa. Kelly is wary because Babette, a friend of Jackie's from her drug-using days, works at the facility. Brenda overhears a gossipy masseuse discussing a friend's affair with Mel. Kelly calls home and learns from David that Mel has been gone for several days. Babette tries to comfort Jackie by offering her drugs, but she resists temptation and vows to face her problems head-on.

Jack is released from prison. He encourages Dylan to invite all his friends to a party, but only Kelly shows up. Dylan tells Kelly that he has chosen her over Brenda, and they kiss in the hotel pool. Dylan and Kelly take Brenda for a walk to inform her of Dylan’s decision, and reveal their summer fling. She screams that she will never speak to them again. The financially destitute Jack wants to dissolve Dylan’s trust so that he can have access to the money. Dylan goes along with it to show faith in his father. Jim fears that Jack is taking advantage of Dylan. Mel moves out of the Taylor house. David fears that he will no longer be a part of Erin’s life, but Jackie invites him to stay with Kelly and her. Nat forgets to place a winning bet for Brandon; in lieu of cash, Brandon asks for his bookie’s phone number. Inspired by her trip to the spa, Andrea decides to change her look but no one can really tell the difference.

Iris flies in from Hawaii, and Dylan and Jack try to soften her up to convince her to approve the dissolution of the trust. She is leery of Jack's motives, but elects not to stand in their way. Jack makes a clandestine phone call and promises someone that he will get the money. Brenda mopes around in her room and discards all mementos of Dylan. A visit from Iris convinces her to get past her pain, and she talks to Kelly at school. Steve helps David get a meeting with a record company. The record company executive threatens to call off the deal unless David fires Steve, and he agrees. Andrea is hesitant to attend a tea for future Yale students. She is pleasantly surprised to run into Jordan Bonner, and the two become friends. Brandon goes on a spending spree with his gambling winnings.

Jack and Dylan begin living on a yacht, where they are constantly kept under surveillance. Jim does not want to dissolve the trust, but finally gives his approval so that Dylan can have a new life with his father. Christine accepts Jack's marriage proposal. Dylan and Kelly sleep together in one room....

At the Walsh's reception, Dylan is tempted to drink but David arrives just in time to talk him down. Dylan tosses out the alcohol much to the relief of everyone. Steve turns down giving recording advice to David. Brandon's losing streak continues as the betting continues. Dylan receives a phone call advising him to come to a secret meeting.

Gambling addict Brandon multiplies his addition by hiring a school bookie, Jeff, in order to pay off $1,500 of losses to Duke who's now out to get Brandon. Meanwhile, David finally realizes the true nature of the music industry when Serge continues to ignore his hip-hop material and forces him to record a repetitive, syrupy ballad. David goes along with it, but Curtis Bray does not like the new tune and outright terminates David's recording contract. Finally seeing the egotistical, two-faced shark that Curtis Bray really is, and the self-serving hack Serge is, David leaves Icon Records and goes back to apologize to Steve for the way he treated him. Kelly's eating disorder worsens when she starts taking diet pills. Also, Andrea tries to ease Dylan's depression over his father's murder by asking him if she can do an editorial on him.

Kelly continues to starve herself and abuse diet pills, and becomes extremely irritable. She freaks out and screams at a potential buyer for the house. Kelly believes that her friends are talking behind her back, until Steve explains that they are planning a surprise party for her eighteenth birthday. Brenda finds Kelly passed out in the Peach Pit’s bathroom during the party. Kelly ignores the doctor’s advice and refuses to admit that she has a problem. Steve and Brandon tape an appearance on the game show Love at First Sight; and end up vying for the same girl, Celeste. Celeste chooses Steve, who is disheartened to learn that he must go on their date immediately and miss Kelly’s party. Celeste suggests cutting the date short after hearing Steve’s dilemma, and asks to see him again. Brenda decides to re-establish ties with her friends back in Minnesota.

Voted the most beautiful senior at West Beverly, Kelly fears that no one's looking beneath her good surface, while she becomes hurt over Dylan not wanting to show her his finished editorial whom he shows to Andrea first. Meanwhile, Steve forgets he's dateless when he goes out with Brandon and his parents to a Lakers basketball game and is randomly chosen to win $10,000 for a half-court shot. Also, Brenda reconsiders her college choice of going back to Minnesota.

Brenda, Kelly, Donna, Andrea and David go to Magic Mountain for Senior Ditch Day (an event organized by the school). A classmate steals Kelly's wallet, but Donna beats him up when he tries to snatch her purse. Andrea struggles to overcome her fear of roller coasters, and she and Donna have a talk about being virgins. Brandon misses out on the trip to fill in for an ailing Nat at the Peach Pit. A tour guide brings the Burt Reynolds Fan Club to the Pit, but cannot pay the bill because she has supposedly been scammed by her boss. She jumps out the bathroom window and steals Brandon's car. Steve and Dylan catch up to her and spend the day trying to track down Burt Reynolds and convince him to meet the fan club. Burt shows up as a favor to Steve's mother, but the tour guide turns out to be the actual con artist.

Brenda and Brandon are dateless for the Senior Prom. But Andrea asks Brandon at the last moment after her date, Jordan, gets ill and Brenda is asked by the school football star Tony Miller. Steve asks out Celeste Lundey, while Dylan naturally goes with Kelly. At the prom, Donna becomes nervous about making it with David, and she ends up having too much to drink and passes out.

Donna is suspended, and must enroll in summer school before she can graduate. Felice refuses to appeal the ruling because she is worried about her own reputation. Donna changes her mind by reminding her that her husband and Donna forgave Felice for her past mistakes. Brandon is disgusted by the students’ apathy, and Gil encourages him to take action on Donna’s behalf. Brandon convinces the entire senior class to walk out on finals as a show of solidarity. Dylan doesn’t want to participate because he has set his sights on making it into the University of California-Berkeley. The juniors join the protest after Brandon agrees to add the elimination of a proposed dress code to the demands. Everyone (including Dylan) walks out on finals and marches to Donna’s hearing. They stand outside shouting, "Donna Martin graduates!" Despite a plea from Felice and threats from the superintendant, hundreds of students enter the building. At the urging of a surprisingly reasonable board member, the school board votes to let Donna off with a minor penalty.

With 24 hours until graduation, Andrea frets with Brandon over her coming valedictorian speech and her college choice of California University or Yale, as does Brenda with Minnesota. Meanwhile, Dylan gets a windfall when he inherits his trust fund worth $10 million, as well as another surprise visit from his eccentric mother Iris, while he reconsiders his college choice of Berkley or California University. On graduation day, David and Donna are the emcee's at the Senior Breakfast gathering while Steve meets with the gang to create something to remember them by.

On the day of graduation, the gang thinks back about their most memorable moments from the past three years. Andrea delivers her commencement address and everyone celebrates. Dylan also has a mysterious encounter with his late father who advices him that he doesn't need to go to college to prove himself. Dylan instead asks Kelly to take a trip through Europe with him for the summer. Steve also decides to go to California University to be near his friends, while Brenda decides to to back to college in Minnesota. The night of graduation, they all meet in the Hollywood Hills near the big Hollywood sign to create their logo on the sign for the whole city to see to remember them for the years they had at West Beverly High School