William Henry "Hank" Devereaux, Jr., the unlikely English department chairman at the badly underfunded Railton College in the Pennsylvania rust belt, …
Hank rants against Railton College, calling it “Mediocrity's Capitol,” and the administration is pressured to fire him; Hank and Lily contemplate a future outside of Railton.
When George Saunders visits Railton College, the professors scramble to impress the celebrated writer, while Hank is reminded of his own failed writing career; Hank and Lily anticipate an announcement from their daughter Julie.
Hank spirals when a storage pod full of his father's belongings is dropped in his front yard. The professors spiral when rumors of budget cuts threaten their tenured jobs.
Amid firing rumors, the professors look to the union to protect their jobs, while Hank tries a different approach; Lily interviews for a job at a prestigious New York prep school.
Hank and Lily host the annual English department dinner; Lily has a decision to make; Hank's past involving his troubled relationship with his father catches up to him.
Hank and Tony travel to an academic conference, where their differing philosophies on work and life cause friction; Lily mediates trouble in Julie and Russell's marriage.
