Watching "Police Cops," a mid-season replacement, Homer discovers that its suave lead character bears his name. Homer is thrilled and his friends congratulate him on his newfound celebrity. The next episode of the show portrays Detective Homer Simpson as a fat, bumbling fool, and Homer soon becomes the laughing stock of Springfield.

Homer appeals to the producers of "Police Cops" to change the chararcter back, but they refuse. No longer caring to be the butt of the town's jokes, Homer changes his name to Max Power and adopts a new, impulsive, go-getter attitude. Getting a monogrammed shirt at Costington's, Homer meets Trent Steel, one of Springfield's young movers and shakers. Impressed with "Max," Trent invites him to a garden party.

At the party, Homer and Marge mingle with the hip, young elite of Sprinmgfield. Homer enjoys himself until the entire party travels to a redwood forest in Springfield to protest logging. All of them, including Homer and Marge, chain themselves to trees. When the authorities arrive, Homer gets into a confrontation with the police, and Eddie begins chasing Homer around the tree to which he is chained. The chain cuts through the tree, and its collapse causes a domino effect. Soon every tree in the forest falls down. Ostracized by Springfield's young elite, "Max Power" changes his name back to Homer Simpson.