An abandoned waif and her dog are taken in by a cranky apartment manager who becomes her guardian in this family-friendly sitcom.
In the series opener, in Chicago, 8-year-old Penelope ""Punky"" Brewster and her dog Brandon are found living in an empty apartment by the building's grouchy manager, photography studio owner Henry Warnimont. Punky tells Henry that it all started when her father walked out on her and her mother Susan Brewster, then a couple of weeks ago, Susan said they were going on a trip, so Susan, Punky, and Brandon piled up in their car and drove to a shopping center in Chicago, where Susan abandoned Punky and Brandon, who have been homeless ever since. In the vacant apartment, Punky always had food, because 8-year-old Cherie Johnson, who lives upstairs from Henry with her grandmother Betty Johnson, always brought food to Punky. Henry takes some memorable pictures of Punky, Cherie, Betty, Brandon, and himself at his photography studio. Later, Punky decides to clean Henry's apartment but when Henry gets home, he is furious because he liked everything the way it was before Punky cleaned the place.
Henry calls the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), but Punky panics, saying that she doesn't want to go to an orphanage, so Henry promises Punky that she won't have to go to an orphanage. The DCFS sends Miranda ""Randi"" Mitchell, who takes Punky away from Henry. Randi takes Punky to Fenster Hall, a home for kids up for adoption. Randi later returns to Henry's apartment and tells Henry that there hasn't been much progress in finding Punky's mother Susan, who may not want to be found. Randi also says that in 72 hours, the DCFS will have a hearing to decide who gets custody of Punky, and Punky wants it to be Henry. Henry has shed a lot of his grouchiness, and he now loves Punky and would like to have custody of her, but Randi thinks Punky would be better off with someone else. At Fenster Hall, Punky is introduced to her two room mates -- Lisa is a girl who acts tough, and Mary is a girl who never talks.
Henry demands to know one reason why Randi doesn't think he should be Punky's foster father, but Randi gives him three reasons -- he's never raised a kid, he's not married, and he's too old.
Punky and her friends convert Henry's study room into her bedroom without asking him first.
Henry, Punky's foster father, takes over the task of walking her and her hyperactive friends Cherie, Margeaux, Scotty and Allen to school after Mrs. Johnson, Cherie's grandmother, challenges him to the job.
As the Chicago Cubs play in their first post-season championship since 1945, proud Cubs fan Henry tries to get tickets for Punky and himself.
As the school's parent-teacher night approaches, Punky is upset by Margaux's insensitive comments about foster parents and foster children.
Punky can't sleep, so Henry agrees to let her stay up and watch the opera with him on TV.
Punky, Cherie, and Margaux compete in a beauty pageant hosted by pop singer Andy Gibb.
Punky and Cherie start a dog grooming business so that they can help make ends meet in their respective homes.
Henry throws out Punky's worn-out old doll after the children's attempt to repair it fails. This upsets Punky, so Henry searches throughout the city to find it.
Christmas is approaching, and the only thing Punky wants is to find her mother.
Christmas is approaching, and the only thing Punky wants is to find her mother.
Punky helps her piano teacher get into the music business.
Henry is reunited with a woman he planned to marry in 1941; when Pearl Harbor was attacked, he enlisted in the Merchant Marines and did not see her again until now.
Punky runs away when he learns that when Henry and Maggie are to be married, she'll be sent to boarding school in Europe.
After getting in trouble for slugging a boy at school, Punky dreams of life 80 years into the future where everyone has found love except for her.
Henry scolds Brandon for eating several valuable stamps. After that, Punky takes him on a walk, where he is hit by a car. He is rushed to the veterinary hospital, where his prognosis is grim.
Henry purchases a video camera for his photo studio and firmly warns Punky that she is not to touch it under any circumstances. However, while he's away, she and her friends make an exercise tape and think he won't know it - until the camera breaks.
Punky, Cherie, and Margaux all want a highly sought-after doll, but Henry can only find one of them at the toy store.
Punky catches a boy breaking into her room and stealing from her. Henry takes the boy to Fenster Hall where Mike Fulton, one of the workers there, tries to bond with him.
T.C.'s criminal mentor, Blade, sends him back to Fenster Hall to steal the money from the upcoming benefit auction.
When Punky bears the brunt of the school bully's aggression, she asks professional boxer Marvin Hagler for advice on self-defense.
Punky wants to build a tree house behind her apartment building, but she has trouble getting people to help her.
Punky and Allen cheat on their geography test.
With Mrs. Johnson's assistance, Punky and Cherie go into the babysitting business. A woman leaves her baby with them, but when the three of them take it out for a stroll, they return home with another infant.
The children enroll in a tap dancing class taught by Jersey Janet, a former Broadway dancer. Punky is not very good, and she quits the class when her skills do not improve.
Punky and the gang go on a camping trip. When the children get lost in a cave, Punky tells a ghost story about an evil spirit who threatens the lake.
The children do battle with an evil spirit, when the ghost of an Indian princess appears to tell Punky that it must be fought with love.
Punky and Cherie are admitted into a clique, only to find that they use drugs and want them to do so.
Punky has something in common with her teacher, Mike Fulton: they were both abandoned by their mothers. They work together to try and find the whereabouts of their respective families.
On Halloween, Punky raises the ire of Mrs. Peevey, a cantankerous old woman who lives in the building, simply by trying to be her friend.
Punky befriends the school janitor who, in spite of her learning disability, is a gifted violin player.
Punky and Cherie learn that a girl who moved into the building recently was kidnapped by her divorced father, and they are both living in the building under assumed names.
During the Christmas shopping season, Punky sees a friend shoplifting merchandise and decides to steal a present she can't afford for Henry. She regrets this when she accidentally switches bags with Mike, who ends up in prison.
Punky is afraid that Henry will be the next victim of a widely publicized murder spree.
Punky receives a remote-controlled race car as a gift. She wants to take it to the racing track, but they do not allow girls to compete there.
Henry reluctantly buys a new refrigerator and puts the old one in the backyard. Mike teaches CPR to the children in class. Allen goofs off and is sent to the principal's office. When the children are playing Hide and Seek, Cherie hides in the fridge and suffocates. Allen doesn't know what to do, so it's up to Punky and Margaux to save their friend's life.
Henry's studio burns down; with no insurance and a mountain of bills he can't pay, he suffers a bleeding ulcer and is hospitalized.
Just as Henry was planning to adopt Punky, a Fenster Hall bureaucrat named Simon P. Chillings rescinds his custody citing his age, his illness, and his lack of a steady income. Mike Fulton tries to change his mind but to no avail.
Punky's friends visit her at Fenster Hall. Hoping that Simon Chillings won't notice (and by taking his glasses), Margaux impersonates Punky so that the real Punky can visit Henry in the hospital.
Simon Chillings performs a Rorschach inkblot test on the fake Punky, and based upon the results, he places the real Punky with a wealthy family. However, she does not take to high society very well.
After a tearful reunion between Punky and Henry, the Buckworths plan to move to Europe. Henry, however, is working as hard as possible to rebuild his business and win Punky back.
Punky's dream is to become an astronaut when she grows up. When she sees the explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle on TV, she is devastated.
Punky wants to see the rock group DeBarge in concert, but Henry is more concerned with her education.
Punky writes a gossip column for the school newspaper.
Punky's overweight cousin Louise wants to lose weight.
When Allen's parents file for divorce, his mother moves to Kansas and takes him with her.
Punky believes one of Henry's lodge buddies has been drinking and driving.
Punky tries to help an elderly woman in the building.
Punky is angry when Cherie falls for a boy.
After Henry scolds Punky for not taking better care of Brandon, she dreams that she's a dog and Brandon's a person.
Henry goes shopping for a brassiere for Punky.
Punky and Henry campaign to turn an empty field into a city park, but Henry's fear of public speaking gets the best of him.
Punky sets Henry up with the school librarian, while Mrs. Johnson goes on a dating game show.
Punky tries to fit in at a high society banquet.
Punky is concerned about the way Cherie always seems to act every year on the 9th of May; she soon learns that it was the day Cherie's parents were killed in a car accident.
When Punky pretends to be an elderly woman and sneaks into an R-rated movie, Cherie and Margaux cover for her truancy at school.
Punky enlists the aid of Cherie and Margaux in kidnapping a pig to save it from being slaughtered.
Spud threatens to jump off a building if Punky won't go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with him.
Photo developing tycoon Matt Glossy offers to buy Henry's studio for $100,000. When he accepts the deal, he ends up working for him. Dissatisfaction quickly sets in, so Henry quits his job. Since his contract with Mr. Glossy forbids him from opening another studio for several decades, he opens a restaurant instead.
Punky convinces Henry to let her work at Punky's Place, the new restaurant named for her. However, she screws things up tremendously and is quickly fired.
A blackout prompts the gang to reminisce on old times (in clips from previous episodes).
Punky tries to help Henry break his addiction to sleeping pills.
Brandon runs away after Cherie leaves the apartment door open.
The boy who finds Brandon refuses to give him up, even when his parents tell him that they're moving to California.
Punky believes she has donated an urn containing Henry's Aunt Mabel's ashes to a convent.
Punky has a crush on an older boy.
Punky, Cherie, and Margaux go to Camp Kookalookie.
Margaux believes that Punky and Cherie won't want to be her friends anymore because her family has gone bankrupt.
Punky pushes Brandon into doing a TV commercial for dog food.
Punky and Cherie believe that a man has died at Punky's Place. When a newspaper's restaurant critic eats there, they fear that this will hurt the restaurant's reputation.
During the Christmas season, Punky finds a briefcase full of stolen money.
Punky and Cherie make money selling cosmetics with unexpected side effects.
When Henry teaches Mrs. Johnson how to drive, mutual lawsuits result because of an accident. The judge hears contradictory testimony from both of them.
Punky, Cherie, and Margaux perform a radio drama.
Betty's sister Larnese, a world famous singer, asks Cherie to come live with her in France.
While Henry tries to throw out souvenirs he has collected over the years, Punky tries to read Cherie's diary. After it accidentally goes out with the garbage, Punky and Margaux search the dumpster to try and find it.
Cherie's cousin Paula is a talented artist. When it is suggested that she enters a contest, she balks at filling out the entry form because she doesn't know how to read.
Punky is afraid to undergo an appendectomy.
When Margaux's father buys the apartment building, Mrs. Johnson can't afford the rent increase he has proposed. Punky, Cherie, and Margaux protest the rent increase by going to his office and chaining themselves to his desk.
Brandon's behavior receives complaints from other tenants.
In Punky's dream, Henry and Mrs. Johnson are the children while she and Cherie are the parents.
Punky - who has a broken leg - and Cherie are stuck in an elevator with a pregnant woman in labor.
Punky has a crush on her math tutor, who is more interested in Margaux.
Punky tries to juggle two dates at the same time.
Punky befriends a deaf girl.
Though Henry finds it ridiculous, Punky arranges for Brandon to get married to Myron's dog Brenda.
