Its fall and that means back to school for the students and faculty at McKinley High. The New Directions clan returns after a devastating loss at Nationals, so Mr. Schuester assigns a project to get them back on track. Meanwhile, Sue Sylvester starts her congressional campaign.
A new foreign exchange student, Rory Flanagan, enrolls at McKinley and crashes with Brittany S. Pierce, who thinks he's a leprechaun. Meanwhile, Mercedes attempts to recruit new members to join Shelby Corcoran's newly formed Glee club and Sue's congressional campaign heats up.
Under Artie's directorial leadership, the kids prepare to perform the school musical "West Side Story." Meanwhile, Finn meets with a recruiter and Coach Beiste has an admirer.
Sue starts a smear campaign to take down her biggest competitor for the Congressional seat. Meanwhile, Puck has a crush, and Will and Shelby Corcoran encourage some friendly competition.
As the race for McKinley High President comes to an end, someone is caught trying to fix the results. Meanwhile, Coach Beiste gets up the nerve to challenge Sue Sylvester and things get complicated for Puck and Quinn.
In an attempt to recruit a few more members, Finn tracks down former teammate Sam Evans and convinces him to come back to the glee club. Tina comes to the defense of Mike and encourages him to pursue his dream while McKinley prepares to host the big sectionals performance.
When New Directions is asked to perform at two different events - on the same day, at the same time - they have a tough decision to make. Will they choose correctly and spread Christmas cheer, or will their ambition get the best of them?
When Will tries to plan a special surprise for Emma, he enlists the glee club to help him sweep her off her feet. Meanwhile, Becky sets her sights on Artie, and Finn makes an announcement about his life plans after high school that surprises the glee club.
In a special episode celebrating the music of Michael Jackson, the rivalry between New Directions and the Warblers intensifies en route to Regionals. Meanwhile, Kurt and Rachel receive news regarding their admissions process at NYADA, and things continue to heat up between Sam and Mercedes.
Will assigns the glee club a Spanish singing assignment, and enlists the help of his musically-inclined night school teacher. Meanwhile, Rachel spills the beans to Kurt and Mercedes on Finn's marriage proposal, and Mercedes has love complications of her own.
In honor of Valentine's Day, Will challenges the New Directions to find and perform the world's greatest love songs. Meanwhile, Rachel's two dads Hiram and LeRoy Berry pay a visit to McKinley High.
Rachel and Kurt finally get their chance to audition for the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts. Meanwhile, Puck makes a decision about his future after a meeting with his father.