One morning Bart and Lisa step onto the school bus only to discover there are only two seats left. Bart sits in one, and puts his skateboard on the other. Lisa protests to Otto, the bus driver, but he responds by placing a hard rock tape in his Walkman and tuning everything else out. Lisa tugs on the Walkman, and in the process, accidentally knocks it to the ground. Otto screams, and begins to bang his head with various objects around the bus. Bart promises Otto he’ll hook him up to some tunes. Before long the kids on the bus start to sing “Old McDonald Had a Farm,” only with cruder lyrics. Martin complains to Otto after Kearney takes his French Horn and tucks it under his shirt. Otto tries to drown out the chatter by turning up the radio, but he can’t find any music to his liking. Otto reacts with disbelief when he happens upon the rock group Metallica sitting on the side of the road. Their tour bus became stranded after it developed a flat tire. Otto offers the band a ride, but moments later he sees Bart driving the school bus away. He throws his baseball hat on the ground, and stomps on it. Bart drives the bus to the elementary school, where his classmates file out the door. A furious Otto confronts Bart, puts him over his knee, and starts spanking him. Principal Skinner catches Otto in the act, and promptly suspends him. With Otto unable to drive the school bus, parents along Otto’s route are forced to form a carpool. The next morning Marge drives Bart and Lisa to school. Along the way they pick up Milhouse, Nelson, and some other kids. One of them is a boy named Michael, who turns out to be the son of mobster Fat Tony.

When word spreads that Michael is Fat Tony’s son, even the bullies at Springfield Elementary fear and respect him. Groundskeeper Willie goes so far as to lay down over a wet spot on the floor so Michael can walk over him. Lisa begins to feel sorry for Michael, who doesn’t want to be treated differently from anyone else. She boldly sits next to him in the cafeteria, and says she’s not afraid of him. Michael tells Lisa he’s not like his father. When Lisa finds a Band-aid in her macaroni and cheese, Michael says he knows a little about cooking, and offers to make her something. They walk into a nearby field, where Michael makes a salad out of wild greens and berries. Lisa takes a bite… and loves it. She tells Michael he’ll be a great chef someday. Michael says his father wants him to go into the family business: waste management. Fat Tony pulls up in an SUV. He takes Michael, Lisa, and the rest of the carpool kids for a ride. Before long Fat Tony’s gangster rivals try to ram his car off the road. Fat Tony manages to blow out one of their tires, and the rival gangster car crashes into a truck full of baking soda, which is rammed by a tanker carrying vinegar… which is later hit by a truck carrying TNT. When Fat Tony drops Lisa off at the house, Michael invites the Simpsons to his father’s house for dinner. The Simpsons arrive at Fat Tony’s mansion, where Michael prepares dinner. One of Fat Tony’s men announces that the Calabreses have arrived for their sit-down. Fat Tony excuses himself, and meets with his rivals. During the sit-down a gangster named Dante Jr. tells Fat Tony that he looked “soft” driving the kids in the carpool lane, and was therefore “whackable.” Fat Tony assures the gang that if he died, his son would take his place. A short time later Michael offers the gangsters a tray of chocolate soufflés. When the Calabreses ask what bakery they came from, Michael says he made them. The Calabreses burst out laughing when Michael says he wants to be a chef. After the Calabreses leave the mansion, Fat Tony tells his son he made him look week in the eyes of his enemies. Moments later a helicopter drops from the sky and the Calabreses open fire, wounding Fat Tony.

At a hospital Dr. Hibbert tells Michael, Homer, and Marge that Fat Tony will eventually recover. One of Fat Tony’s men, Johnny Tightlips, warns that the Calabreses will try to kill Michael. Homer tells Michael that he and Bart will run the family business until Fat Tony recovers. Homer, in his role as mob boss, storms into Moe’s tavern and demands repayment of a loan. Bart and some of Fat Tony’s goons shake down Krusty, who makes payments to keep fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s from competing against Krustyburger. As the now well-armed Homer and Bart begin to act more and more like gangsters, and develop a sinister laugh, Michael grows concerned. Michael announces he’s getting out of the mob business. Michael approaches the Calabreses and says he’s handing over all of his father’s territory in exchange for the safety of his family and the Simpsons. The Simpsons serve the Calabreses a huge feast. After the mobsters dig in, they suddenly choke and collapse. Bart and Homer deny poisoning the food. Later, at the hospital, Fat Tony congratulates Michael for eliminating the enemy. Lisa asks Michael why he didn’t tell Fat Tony it was an accident. Michael turns to Lisa, and tells her not to ask him about his business. As the theme to The Godfather plays, Michael and his bully henchmen make their way to Michael’s bedroom, where they play with toy cars.