Welcome back!
Nathan asks Haley for a possible divorce. Lucas tells Dan he saved his life. Peyton finds out something deep about Ellie. Dan tries to drop accusations at several people about the fire. He also tries to get Whitey replaced as Ravens coach.
Brooke has a end of the summer party on the beach; Nathan is home from basketball camp; Lucas deals with Brooke’s rules for dating; Peyton deals with family issues; Haley tries to tell Nathan how she feels.
In the third season premiere, we finally discover Dan’s fate after the fire. Besides the situation with his father, Nathan also has to deal with Haley’s reappearance in Tree Hill and the future of their relationship. Meanwhile, Peyton tries to find the truth about the mysterious woman who pretends to be her mother. Also, Lucas looks forward to Brooke’s return after a summer apart.
Nathan is released from the hospital and returns home to a pile of unpaid bills and an eviction notice. Lucas, Peyton and Brooke throw a fundraiser Tric to raise money, but Dan is the one that comes to Nathan’s rescue. However, his gift comes with strings – he wants Nathan to ask Haley for an annulment.
Lying in a coma after his race car accident, Nathan dreams of what life would have been like if Dan had stayed with Karen and Lucas instead of marrying Deb. In this imaginary world, Lucas would have had the wealth and stature and Nathan would have been the one growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. After waking up, Nathan phones Haley and tells her he doesn’t want her to come home.
Nathan’s Uncle Cooper comes into town to take Nathan and Lucas on a racing trip. On the track, Nathan and Lucas are challenged to a race by the beautiful Daytona and her smart aleck brother Jarret, but things go horribly wrong when Nathan loses control of his car and crashes into a wall. Meanwhile, Deb’s addiction to pain pills intensifies and Dan exposes Andy’s relationship with Karen to his class.
On his way home from seeing Haley, Nathan stops to visit Taylor hoping for some fun and maybe more. Meanwhile, Anna gets a surprise visit from her ex-girlfriend and is inspired to tell her parents about her sexuality. Also, Lucas works with Andy to bring Dan down, Karen puts her foot down with Brooke. Peyton and Jake continue to hide baby Jenny from Nicki.
Keith gets violent with Dan after learning that Dan paid Jules to fall in love with Keith. Anna turns Felix in to the school authorities after learning that he was the one who vandalized Peyton’s locker. Lucas and Brooke discuss Brooke’s possible move. Meanwhile, Nathan chances Haley in the hope of bringing her home. Brooke decides to move in with Karen.
Keith and Jules’ wedding day, and the event has turned the town upside down. Brooke asks Lucas to take her to the wedding as his date, Nathan makes an important decision involving his marriage to Haley, and Jake and Peyton take a big step in their relationship. Meanwhile, Karen and Andy discover Jules’ secret relationship with Dan.
When Tree Hill High does a time capsule project, the gang confesses their most intimate secrets to an anonymous video camera. Nathan’s anger over Haley’s absence continues to grow, landing both Lucas and Nathan in jail. Peyton and Jake’s feelings for each other heat up, while Felix throws Brooke a party to celebrate her new gig as student body president. Meanwhile, when brought to court, Lucas opts to live with Dan and Deb rather than Karen.