In the opening scene of episode 1 of The ‘Burbs, a couple named Robert and Samira stroll down the street of Ashfield Place in Hinkley Hills, accompanied by their infant son, Miles. They have recently moved into Robert's parents' house on the cul-de-sac, transitioning from city life to a suburban one. While Robert heads to work, Samira is on maternity leave.
As they walk down the street, Samira notices an old, Victorian house that appears to be in disrepair. Robert comments that it has been empty for about 20 years but doesn't offer further details.
After Robert leaves for work, Samira meets a neighbor named Lynn, who welcomes her to Ashfield Place and invites her to a wine night with some other neighbors. Later, Samira calls her brother and admits that she's finding it difficult to get through maternity leave without a project or goals.
Meanwhile, Robert meets his colleague and fellow neighbor Naveen on the train, who is down in the dumps because his wife is having an affair and has filed for divorce. They move on to talk about Robert, who confides that Samira has been asking questions about the empty Victorian house across the street. Naveen asks him if "he told her."
Back home, Samira returns from a stroll and sees a silhouette of a person in the empty house. She asks Robert about the house again, and he says it was owned by the Grants. The next day, Samira accepts Lynn's invitation to the wine night and is introduced to other neighbors, Dana and Tod.
Samira brings up the Victorian house, and Lynn explains that the Grants' daughter, Alison, died under mysterious circumstances, with people speculating that she was murdered. Her parents soon moved away and never sold the house. Samira also meets Rory, a 13-year-old who offers her babysitting services. Then comes a plot twist - a man drives up to the empty house and puts a "For Sale" sign on the lawn.
At a dinner gathering with Rob and Naveen, Samira casually brings up Alison's name. Rob admits to knowing her as a child but remains tight-lipped about further details. The following day, Samira dives into research and discovers that Hinkley Hills was founded by H. Horace Hinkley, a mining magnate and philanthropist. She attempts to find the newspaper from March 15, 2005, but the librarian, Judy, informs her that the volume has been checked out and should be returned within a week.
Soon, an "Open House" sign joins the "For Sale" sign at the vacant house. Dana, Samira, and Lynn decide to take a peek inside. They speak with the realtor and explore the property. Samira discovers a cupboard upstairs with Alison's name inside. As a light bulb bursts, she rushes out of the house. Not long after, the house is sold! Tod informs the group that it was purchased by a doctor who has installed a robust security system.
That night, Samira and Robert spot a man moving into the vacant house at 2 am. In the morning, Samira leaves some brownies by the door and notices a live security camera watching her. But no one picks them up even by nightfall. When Rob takes the baby for a drive, Samira goes to the house to retrieve her plate. But as she steps onto the lawn, a gust of wind rustles up all the leaves, and she returns home to find herself locked out!
She falls asleep on the porch and wakes up when a couple of police officers arrive. They say the new owner of the vacant house called the police on Samira, accusing her of trespassing. However, one of the policemen turns out to be Danny, an old acquaintance of Rob's, who decides to let the whole thing go. But Samira is hurt by the case of clear racial profiling. Her friends come over to offer support, and when Rob suggests they move, Samira declares that she won't be run out by racism.
The episode ends with Samira seeing a man standing by the window at the Victorian house.
