Description: After his son John dies, retired widower Gus Witherspoon invites his daughter-in-law Jessica Witherspoon and her three children to move to Los Angeles and live with him until Jessie gets back on her feet financially. Despite protests from her children, fifteen-year-old Kris; twelve-year-old David; and eight-year-old Molly they, Jessie, and their basset hound Arthur leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, to start a new life in California.