Plots generally center on the misadventures of various family members in their respective realms. The town name is a composite of Langley and Great Falls, two unincorporated communities located in Fairfax County. The Smith Family resides on 43 Cherry Street in the fictional community of Langley Falls, Virginia in the Washington, D.C. The Smith family is also in possession of two bizarre nonhumans - Roger, an escaped alien from Area 51 whom Stan is covertly housing in defiance of his employer, and Klaus, an anthropomorphic goldfish whom the CIA implanted with the brain of an East German Olympic ski jumper. Their two children are Hayley, a passionately liberal college-aged activist, and Steve, a nerdy, wimpy high schooler who constantly attempts to live up to Stan's expectations. He is married to Francine Smith, a ditzy housewife who is trying to make up for a wild youth. American Dad! centers on the domestic life of its nominal title character, Stan Smith, a staunchly conservative Republican CIA agent and self-proclaimed patriot.
