Imagine J.R. Ewing at the age of 14. That's Matthew Burton. Imagine Matthew Burton 20 years on. That's Norman Lamb. When Norman moves into the apartment across the hall and takes a shine to Mrs Burton, Matthew moves into action with a fiendish opening gambit. Will it soon be checkmate, or has Matthew finally met his match?

Matt's plans to sell answers to an upcoming English test hit a snag when his teacher goes on maternity leave.

In a rare righteous moment, Matt assures his friend Eli of a date with Julie to the Harvest Ball. Julie has no intention of dating 'this lower life-form', forcing Matt into his bag of tricks to save face.

For the first time in his young life, con-artist Matt meets resistance to his devious courting strategies, which are complicated by some clever monkey business from his new neighbour, Norman.

Matt and Eli plan their greatest conspiracy - bugging Julie's pajama party!

Romance may be slipping through Matt and Norman's fingers as a web of suspicion surrounds love letters each receives from supposed secret admirers

Matt is determined to break up his mother's and Norman's relationship and hits on a scheme guaranteed to drive Norman into a jealous rage - a trait his mother despises in men.

Matthew finds he has created a monster when his scheme to prevent Norman from replacing his retiring teacher goes horribly wrong.

When Norman gets a new credit card, it means two things - a romantic weekend alone with Eileen and freedom from Matt's economic clutches.

The Burton family is poised to celebrate their Christmas in their traditional fashion, complete with Christmas-day bowling, guacamole, and picking up the San Diego channel on their aluminum Christmas tree. Norman, however, has more traditional plans that include thick, gooey egg nog and making his own Christmas presents. Plans go awry when traditions clash. Matt saves the day and still successfully makes Norman look like a fool.

The band Matt and Eli put together for the school dance creates an impression that is out of this world, and trouble that leaves the boys' bones ratling.

The apparant success of Matt and Eli's ""band"" hits a snag when various money-hungry lowlifes sue the nonexistant group for 25 million dollars. In order to save face, Matt and Norman collaborate on a way to kill-off the band by driving Norman's new car off a cliff and scattering the band's clothing around the scene of the accident.

Eileen's image of her perfect son is permanently shattered after his scheme to get her a well-deserved pay-rise backfires.

When a reluctant Norman is appointed coach of the high school's losing soccer team, Matt persuades him to give Eli the opportunity of a lifetime and make him second-string goalie...

When Eileen turns down a marriage proposal, opting for Norman's affections over fame and fortune, Norman feels obliged to make an equally noble gesture.

Acting on Matt's financial advice, Norman and Dwight make a killing on the stock market. But rather than dining out on their new-found wealth, they soon find themselves singing for their supper.

The story of Julie Burton, a cheerleader. But, strangely enough, a cheerleader without cheer. For a perverse crime is about to strike Julie down. A crime from the hands of one she trusted.