Much of the action was set at either the college, or in his large home in Cambridgeport, Cambridge's neighbor across an unknown river, which also served as his office.
Neal was divorced from his former wife Helen (Candace O'Connor), a nasty jet-setter, who had recently remarried; and they (supposedly) had a grown daughter, Jessica, nicknamed Jessie (Marianne McIssac), a student at Delaney College, who lived with him.
Also living in the Chapman house was his mother, Meg (Doris Petrie); she'd move in after suffering a serious fall in her own home (Jessie had once lived with her grandmother, Meg, after Helen sent her there after her remarriage); Louise Bates (Jayne Eastwood) a Cambridge real estate agent who had sold Neal his house, and his close friend, Cambridge attorney Walter Telford (Colin Fox, Granville Van Dusen), who lived with his wife, Evelyn Telford (Deborah Turnbull).
Walter, Evelyn, Louise and another person, Dr. Jean Bataille, were all paying tenants in Neal's home in an attempt to help with finances.
He was involved romantically with Louise and also with local television talk show host, Trudy Bowen (Barbara Kyle).
Another family he counseled was the more middle-class Sperrys, Amy (Gina Dick), a student at Delaney College, and her mother, Doris (Mignon Elkins).
Much of the focus of the series was Neal counseling his many clients, who were members of the larger Cambridge/Cambridgeport communities, and/or Delaney College's students and faculty, whilst his own troubles mounted.
Ironically, Paula, who had a peculiar habit of calling her secretary, "sweetie" (and was more sympathetic than Helen) would work at Gordon's Department store, with Michael Stewart, Sr.
Although it was more of a means to an end, to get even with Paula for her continued interest in her husband, Norma had a sincere love for Jessie, and the two proved to be a good support system for one another.