As the head of the Square family, Pa expects his clan to do as he says, but his ideas are so square that he can't always rally his troops. He's the 19th century's Clark Griswold who faces life from a different angle. His interesting spin on what constitutes adventure is what gets this family into situations which are anything but your average family's fun. Pa fancies himself an inventor and tries hard not to live off the success of square dancing alone. It's hard for others to see the inventor in him.