Riverdale High's sock hop is around the corner and Archie has his sights set on taking Veronica to the dance. Betty is confused when Kevin appears uninterested in taking things to the next level with her.
After enlisting Archie's help, Cheryl's plan to fool her family spirals out of control. Jughead turns to Veronica for help after finding himself in some trouble, and Betty gives Kevin an ultimatum.
Principal Featherhead takes aim at the negative influence comic books have over kids, just as Jughead is tasked by Pep Comics to write four tales for a new issue.
At her wits end over Archie's recent actions, Mary turns to Uncle Frank to get him back on track; Betty asks Veronica for help understanding her sexuality; Jughead takes action after he discovers plagiarism taking place at Pep Comics.
Fearing that Betty is going down the wrong path, Alice forces her to join the after-school dance show, "American Grandstand"; Kevin is forced by Tom to join the Riverdale High basketball team; Veronica finds herself cut off by her parents.
In order to keep Riverdale High's basketball legacy alive, Frank and Archie recruit a new player to the team -- a boy named Reggie Mantle; Tabitha's return to school inspires Toni to start a literary society for Riverdale's Black students.
After devising a plan to bring in some money at the Babylonium, Veronica is surprised to learn somebody may be sabotaging her; after beginning sessions with Dr. Werthers, Betty begins to question his motives.
Jughead and Tabitha team up to investigate a mystery involving Brad Raybury; Cheryl asks Toni if she can attend an afterschool book club with her and other Black students; Betty and Veronica ask Archie and Reggie out on a double date.
Veronica decides to host a ghost show; Betty makes the most out of her night out with Archie and Reggie; Jughead makes a major discovery in a mystery brewing in Riverdale.
Archie and Reggie lean on each other as they prepare for their big basketball game against Stonewall Prep; Betty and Veronica decide to throw a slumber party.
Panic ensues after Archie and the gang learn that Mrs. Thornton is accused of being a communist; Cheryl's father forces her to out gay students at Riverdale High or risk losing power over the Vixens.
Principal Featherhead agrees to let Kevin present him with an original musical. Musical rehearsal prompt Archie to question what he wants in life while Betty and Veronica confront what's going on between them.
Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, and Toni each enter the annual Miss Teen Riverdale pageant. When Alice doesn't allow Ethel to enter the pageant, the girls band together to make sure she has a fighting chance.
Julian gets his hands on a stag film and invites Archie, Reggie, and the guys over for a watch party; Betty unexpectedly reunites with Polly; Jughead goes to war with Dr. Werthers over his censure of comic books.
Betty enlists help from Cheryl and Toni after deciding she's going to publish her own book; Veronica, Kevin and Clay host Hollywood movie star Josie McCoy; Archie's attempt to take his poetry to the next level doesn't go as planned.
As the gang gets swept up in paranoia, a new mystery in Riverdale leads Jughead to suspect it may have ties to a string of suspicious murders in town; Archie reconsiders his future after Uncle Frank gives him a hard time about his poetry.
As the town's past secrets start to bubble to the surface, Jughead and the gang are forced to make a difficult decision that will change each of their lives forever.
Back in present day and longing for her former life in Riverdale, 86-year-old Betty turns to a special friend to help her relive her last day of senior year.
