The beloved Walton family reunites in the year 1969 to celebrate John and Olivia’s 40th anniversary, but like all families, not everything goes smoothly.

John-Boy is now a successful writer and television news anchor, living with his wife, Janet in New York City. Janet is a month away from giving birth to their first child. John-Boy and Janet arrive on Walton’s mountain with a reporter from Life magazine, who is doing a profile piece on John-Boy to publicize his latest novel.

Erin is now the principal of the grade school where Olivia is a teacher. Jim-Bob arrives, followed by Mary Ellen and her two children. In the midst of the arrivals and Olivia chatting with Janet about the coming baby, Drew enters with a handmade bent willow rocking chair and a business proposition for John. He suggests they make more and sell the chairs, however, Ben who now works with his father, doesn’t like the idea. A taxi pulls up and out walks Elizabeth back from her world travels. She announces that she’s home for good, but a happy romantic reunion with Drew is not to be, as he is dating someone else.

Being back on the mountain, with all the memories of his childhood, and especially Grandpa, John-Boy tells Janet he’d like to leave New York and have their child grow up in the same small-town atmosphere, surrounded by family as he did. Janet wants no part of small-town life, and she is further incensed when John-Boy expresses interest in buying Old Man Walker’s cabin, where John-Boy had spent many an hour writing.

In the days that lead up to John and Olivia’s anniversary party and trip to the beach, romantic relationships hit the rocks, the rocking chair business takes a downturn, financial woes hover, Olivia goes out of her way to help an insecure student, the Baldwin sisters bestow a precious legacy on John, Sr., and Mary Ellen gives Janet some shocking news.

Times may be changing and their lives may be going in different directions. The Walton kids are grown up; their parents are growing older and the family is expanding, but one thing never changes—their love and support for each other.