Marge tricks the kids into entering the house so she can give them haircuts. The kids are horrified, but there’s no escape, as Marge has nailed the door shut. Bart and Lisa tell Marge about a new kids’ barbershop at the mall. Marge’s feelings are hurt, so she refuses to take them. Homer, on the other hand, wants to go to the mall so he can eat day-old Cinnabons. Unfortunately Bart’s experience in the barber’s chair turns out to be a disaster. Lisa fares much better, until a vengeful Bart puts an electric clipper to her hair. The pair encounter the Springfield Elementary Photography Club, who are about to take snapshots and post them in the school lobby all year long. Fearful of being photographed with bad haircuts, Bart and Lisa flee. The pair find Homer pulling Cinnabons out of a dumpster and eating them. Anxious to evade the determined pack of paparazzi, the kids pull Homer into a nearby theater. The movie, “Left Below,” features the coming of the Rapture. When Homer returns home, he’s obsessed with the apocalypse. Before long he interprets various occurrences as proof that the end of the world is near.

Homer makes his way to a Christian bookstore, where he picks up a book on the apocalypse. Using the book as a guide, Homer calculates that the end of the world is at hand, and will fall on May 18th, just one week away. Homer makes his way to Springfield town square, where he warns passersby by wearing a sign that reads, “the end is near.” His antics catch the attention of local newsman Kent Brockman, who files a live report on television. Homer tells Brockman, that according to scripture, the end will come when “the stars will fall to the earth.” Lisa warns Homer that it’s unlikely the end of the world is upon them, especially since global warming won’t doom the planet for another 100 years. Homer realizes that what he’s doing is pretty silly. He decides to return home. While watching television he sees a Krusty the Clown special saluting celebrities. A blimp accident sends the celebrities tumbling to the ground below. Marge sees this and remarks that “the stars are falling to earth,” just like Homer had predicted earlier. The townspeople come to believe that Homer is a prophet, and they ask if he can save their souls. Homer decides to lead everyone into the Springfield Mesa, a desert area. When judgment day arrives, everyone stands in the mesa expectantly as Homer counts down the last seconds of existence. When the time Homer predicted the world would end arrives, nothing happens.

Homer receives merciless ribbing for making everyone in town believe that the world was coming to an end. Moe, who also believed Homer’s prophesy, sold his bar to some Japanese businessmen. Now instead of serving drinks, he makes sushi. People in the restaurant berate Homer and throw food at him, which he catches in his mouth. Later Homer predicts the coming of another rapture. This time no one believes him. Homer drives into the desert, where he awaits doomsday. When the deadline arrives, Homer discovers himself in heaven. Homer finds out that his family ended up in hell because none of them believed in the apocalypse. Homer approaches God and says he can’t enjoy his stay in heaven knowing that his family is suffering. Homer convinces God to turn back the clock. A short time later Homer awakens in the desert. Marge, Bart, and Lisa run up to Homer, saying they were worried about him. Homer returns to Moe’s bar, which is its former dumpy self. Homer enters the bar… and tells everyone he’s in heaven.