The family huddles around a fireplace to stay warm after Homer forgets to pay the heating bill. As Bart picks through old stuff to toss into the fire, he finds a pink box tied with a ribbon. Marge pulls it away, telling everyone it’s her memory box. When the contents spill out, Lisa notices a diploma from Springfield University. Lisa is shocked that her mother kept it a secret. Marge tells the children there are some things they don’t know about her and Homer. In flashback Marge and Homer move into their first apartment. At the time Homer dreamed of becoming a successful musician, but then Marge got accepted to Springfield University. Homer wanted Marge to be happy, so he took a job working for his father at a laser-tag warehouse. Marge began attending class. She was deeply impressed with Professor August, who criticized the accomplishments and power of white men in society. Marge tried her best to keep her feelings to herself.

As time passed Marge found herself growing increasingly attracted to the offbeat professor, and the things he had to say. She also grew frustrated with Homer, who was unable to grasp — and simply didn’t care about — August’s philosophy. One day Marge fantasized about August while rubbing salve on Homer’s back. August sought to break up Homer and Marge’s relationship by implying that Homer enslaved Marge by helping her through college. One day Homer walked in on Marge and August as their eyes locked in romantic bliss. Homer’s anger erupted, prompting Marge to send him home. Homer convinced his fellow singing-group members that it was time for their music style to change. Homer invented a type of sound that mixed heavy metal with pathos. He called it “grunge.” College students embraced it wholeheartedly, but August dismissed it as hateful and destructive. Marge asked Homer why she should stay with him if he resents how she’s blossomed intellectually.

Homer and Marge decided to break up. Marge began dating August, which at first seemed like a match made in heaven. Homer became the hottest grunge artist around, as evidenced by Weird Al’s parody of his music. His personal life, however, was a mess. One day Marge discovered that August had nothing but contempt for the institution of marriage. An argument arose, and Marge stormed off. Later Marge discovered that Homer wrote a song about her. Her heart melted, but then Marge saw a special news report on MTV. Kurt Loder announced that Homer’s band, Sadgasm, had broken up. Homer was holed up in a mansion, hopelessly addicted to drugs. Marge went to the mansion, where she found Homer with a needle in his arm. It turned out that Homer wasn’t an addict: he was diabetic. Marge helped Homer get his life back on track. In the present day Marge tells the kids that she learned something important from the experience: her heart belongs to Homer.