Despite protests from her children—15-year-old daughter Kris (Shannen Doherty); 12-year-old son David (Chad Allen); and 8-year-old daughter Molly (Keri Houlihan)—they, Jessie, and their basset hound Arthur leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, to start life anew in California. As they settle in with Gus, they realize just how difficult he can be to live with. The majority of the plots each week centered on the conflicts which tend to arise when an extended family must live together in the same house. As man of the house, Gus imposed rules on his three grandkids the same way he had raised John (and also John's brother Ben, who was seen in a two-part episode); ultimately, however, he learned ways of conveying lessons to the kids without being gruff. Jessie and the kids eventually learned that beneath Gus's stern facade was a wise man, well versed in the ways of the world, who cared about them very much.