Hannah decides to quit teaching and leave her boyfriend, Jack, and return home to Chicago to become a writer. On the flight home to Chicago, Hannah meets and helps Marty deal with his fear of flying and he tells her about a research job open at Chicago Monthly, the magazine where he is a writer. Hannah goes down the magazine to apply for the job, meets the editor and is challenged to write a 2,000 word article on ""the tortilla wars, does Chicago prefer corn or flour?"" for 9 o'clock the following morning.

Hannah's first deadline prompts her first fight with Marty when she loses his article in the computer and he doesn't have a backup, much to Pamela's delight.

Hannah's old boyfriend and Marty's ex-college roommate are one in the same person, and Jack tries to convince her that he has changed. Meanwhile, Hannah and Marty are working on a story that will expose a charity scam.

Marty doesn't want anyone to know he is living in fear when he receives his first death threat.

Marty is in turmoil when his mother stops by for a visit and Hannah gets him face his relationship with her, so he can get rid of all the angst it generates.