The series depicts the crowded and chaotic home life of the Winslow household in Chicago, Illinois, which consists of Carl, a police officer; his wife Harriette; Harriette's nephew Richie; the Winslows' handsome college student son Eddie; popular teenaged daughter Laura; their joyously nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel who recently moved in; the Winslows' foster child "3J"; and Carl's elderly mother, who frequently visits. Complicating matters is Steve Urkel's alter ego, the debonair Stefan Urquelle, who romances Laura.