Stuart Brooks was the owner/publisher of The Genoa City Chronicle, an upstanding citizen of Genoa City, loving husband of Jennifer, and was devoted to and very protective of his four daughters. Their eldest daughter, Leslie, an accomplished pianist, was very introverted and dateless because music had consumed her entire life. Next was 21-year-old Lauralee, who went by the name Lorie, and was going to college in Paris where she had led a life of sex, alcohol, and drugs with Brock Reynolds, the son of Genoa City's wealthy Katherine Chancellor. Daughter Chris, an idealistic college student who also worked at the Chronicle with her father, was a caring and thoughtful young woman. Their youngest, the red-headed daughter Peggy, was still in high school.

The very first episode of The Young and the Restless began with Stuart befriending a young drifter named Brad Eliot who had arrived in town penniless on a bus. Stuart gave Brad a job at the newspaper, and later approved of Brad's interest in his daughter Leslie. [The show, at that time, revolved around the contrast between the well-to-do Brooks family and the poor Foster family.] Liz Foster worked hard at her menial job on a factory assembly line at Chancellor Industries ever since her husband Bill had abandoned her and her young children seven years earlier. Her eldest son, William Jr. was called "Snapper" after his "snappish" personality. Snapper was putting himself through medical school with a part-time job, and as the "man of the family" contributed to younger brother Greg's law school, and kept a big-brotherly eye on his 18-year-old sister Jill who worked as a shampoo girl and manicurist to help support them all.

23-year-old Snapper began dating Stuart's 19-year-old daughter Chris. Although Jennifer liked Snapper, Stuart was not impressed with the young man who was continually disappointing Chris by not showing up for their dates, with excuses that he had been working late and had fallen asleep. While Chris was saving herself for their marriage, which was to be held after Snapper graduated from medical school, Stuart found out that Snapper was sleeping with Sally McGuire, a waitress at Pierre's Restaurant. Stuart told Chris, hoping to break them up, but Chris refused to believe him and moved out of the family home. Chris found a secretarial job working for Snapper's brother Greg's new law office. But when Chris discovered that Stuart was paying her salary, she quit, which disappointed Greg who had also fallen in love with her and had proposed. While job-hunting, Chris stopped for a hamburger at a singles bar, and met George Curtis. He offered to walk her home then raped her. Months later Chris became willing to make love with Snapper, but memories of the rape wouldn't let her. Snapper was understanding and supportive, but he still had Sally on the side. With Snapper and her sister Leslie's encouragement, Chris was finally able to file charges against her attacker. But on the witness stand Chris was made to look like she had not resisted, and Curtis was set free. Even more determined to stand by Chris, Snapper broke up with Sally and proposed to Chris. Chris and Snapper eventually married, but Chris had a miscarriage when she found out that Sally had just had a baby by Snapper. But shaky start that they had, Chris was Stuart and Jennifer's only daughter whose marriage ended up lasting decades.

Stuart's eldest daughter was Leslie, with whom he had spent many hours nurturing her musical talent. Leslie fell in love with Brad Eliot who encouraged her to come out of her shell, and enjoy a very successful career as a concert pianist. Lorie returned from college, still carrying the same jealousy of Leslie as when they were children. Unable to spark any interest from Brad, Lorie started intercepting their letters and phone calls while Leslie was on tour. Lorie managed to convince Brad that Leslie was no longer interested in him, and she convinced Leslie that she had seduced Brad, which caused Leslie to have a nervous breakdown, freezing at the piano during a concert in New York City. After being led off stage, Leslie wandered through Central Park, her purse was stolen, and she wound up institutionalized for weeks with no memory. Eventually her doctor discovered who she was from a publicity photo and notified Stuart, who flew to New York and rescued Leslie.

Stuart and his wife Jennifer secretly supported Leslie through her recovery in a sanitarium near Genoa City. Meanwhile, Lorie became engaged to Brad. After months of therapy Leslie was released. When Brad discovered what Lorie had done, he broke up with her, and he and Leslie got back together. Lorie quit her job at the Chronicle and published her first book, which Stuart editorialized as "a disgusting piece of trash". With Brad's encouragement, Leslie bought Pierre's Restaurant and turned it into The Allegro, a nightclub where she could perform without having to travel. Stuart and Jennifer spent many evenings at Allegro, proud of their talented daughter who was also singing there. Brad and Leslie then married. They honeymooned in Palm Springs where the Mid-America Symphony was performing. Brad had gotten tickets and arranged a meeting with Maestro Fautsch, who talked Leslie into resuming her career as a concert pianist. But Brad and Leslie later divorced.

Although Stuart and his wife Jennifer appeared to have the perfect marriage, Jennifer received a visit from Bruce Henderson, a man with whom she had long ago had an affair. Recently divorced, Bruce begged Jennifer to leave Stuart for him. As Jennifer was breaking the news to her daughters that she was leaving, Stuart suffered a heart attack. Brad and Snapper were with him at the time, and saved his life. Stuart insisted that Bruce, who was a renowned Chicago cardiologist, be brought in to consult. Knowing that Stuart's heart could not stand the shock of her leaving, Jennifer stayed with Stuart and nursed him back to health. Her daughters kept her secret but were resentful. After Stuart recovered, Jennifer filed for divorce and flew to Chicago to be with Bruce. But after Jennifer was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy, she decided that no one could love her so disfigured, that she left Bruce and returned to Genoa City. Stuart found out, and because he still loved Jennifer, they reconciled.

Lorie meanwhile continued to seduce men and break their hearts, or those of their wives, until she met Mark Henderson. Lorie and Mark fell in love and were to be married, until Jennifer told Mark that his father, Bruce, was also Lorie's father, making them half-brother and sister. Mark broke off the engagement, Lorie figured out her paternity with the help of Brad Eliot, and swore she would never forgive her mother. Leslie set Lorie up with millionaire Lance Prentiss to soothe her broken heart, and Lorie ended up marrying him.

Stuart's youngest daughter, Peggy, was by then a student at Genoa City University, majoring in journalism, and also had a part time job at the Chronicle. Peggy became involved with her married college tutor, Jack Curtis. Jack's wife, Joann, found out about Peggy, and reacted by throwing him out of their apartment. While Jack was trying to find Peggy to tell her that he was about to be free to be with her, Peggy let herself into her sister Chris' apartment, and was grabbed from behind and raped. Peggy, who had still been a virgin, was shattered. Chris, who had been raped herself a few years earlier, helped Peggy to reject the shame, report the rape, and file charges against her attacker. Peggy picked Ron Becker out of a police lineup as her attacker, Ron was arrested, but the jury was not convinced beyond reasonable doubt, and Ron was found "not guilty".

During Peggy's trauma, her family had refused to allow Jack to see her, and tried to convince Peggy to see a therapist. Peggy finally got up the courage to leave the family home, and went to see Jack, who had by then divorced his wife. Peggy convinced Jack that a secret marriage would resolve her emotional problems. But still traumatized by the rape, Peggy was unable to have sex with Jack. Then Stuart, the ever protective father, caught Peggy spending the night at Jack's, and verbally attacked Jack. Peggy had to admit that they were married, and if her father would leave them alone she could get over her sexual hang-ups with her husband. Peggy moved in with Jack, and lied to her father that her marriage had been consummated. Some time later, finally fed up with waiting, Jack took Peggy by force. She told him he was no better than the rapist, and that their marriage was over. Peggy and Jack's marriage was annulled, and Jack and Joann remarried.

Within a year of their reconciliation, Stuart's wife Jennifer died of a heart attack. A year passed, and Stuart began spending time with his daughter Chris' mother-in-law, Liz Foster, who had also recently lost her spouse. Although Stuart was quite taken with Liz, she felt that she was not of his class, so she avoided becoming romantically involved. But her daughter, Jill, saw her opportunity in Liz's reluctance, and still looking for a rich man to provide for her and her son, Jill pursued Stuart. Stuart resisted Jill's advances, but she eventually spent a weekend in Las Vegas with him. Soon afterward, in a sly attempt to trap Stuart into marrying her, Jill announced that she was pregnant. Stuart agreed to marry Jill even though he was in love with Liz, who was heartbroken by the news. Shortly after the marriage, Jill accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. When Stuart questioned her doctor about Jill's pregnancy, he was told that Jill was not pregnant, and Stuart realized that he had been duped. Jill refused when Stuart told her that he wanted a divorce. But when Derek, the man she really loved, was free to marry her, she quickly divorced Stuart.

Meanwhile, Lorie published her second book, "In My Sister's Shadow", which was a recounting of her relationship with Leslie, and included Leslie's nervous breakdown. Stuart found out that Lorie's book had been published. He berated Lorie, then broke the news to Leslie who was devastated and swore that she would never forgive Lorie. Leslie, later while on a concert tour, found herself hounded by reporters anxiously seeking the tawdry details about her nervous breakdown and time spent in a sanitarium. Leslie became so upset that she nearly suffered a second breakdown. When Lance heard what his wife had done, he lashed out at Lorie, and then flew to Denver to meet Leslie to give her emotional support. Stuart was relieved, as he knew if anyone could help Leslie, it was Lance. Leslie had decided to cancel the remainder of her tour, but with Lance there by her side, she went on to her next concert. But when Leslie surveyed the audience, imagining them all knowing about her past, she froze, and then ran off the stage. Lance comforted Leslie, and they returned to her hotel suite, where they ended up making love. The following morning, Leslie felt so guilty that she encouraged Lance to patch things up with Lorie. When Leslie turned up pregnant, she didn't tell Lance, but confided in his brother Lucas who adored her. Lucas proposed, and he and Leslie were married. Leslie had a baby boy whom she named Brooks Lucas Prentiss. Brooks accompanied Leslie on tour and Lucas and Stuart would occasionally join them.

But after an upsetting confrontation with Lorie, who correctly guessed that Lance was really Brooks' father, Leslie suffered another nervous breakdown and disappeared with amnesia again. Months later, circumstances led Leslie back to Genoa City with blonde hair, a new man named Jonas, and a new name of Pricilla. Leslie did not recognize her father, her sisters or her son. Lorie and Lucas told Leslie who she was and who they were, but Leslie became confused and overwhelmed, and signed over her parental rights to Lorie. As she and Jonas were about to leave town, she ran into her former mentor, Maestro Fautsch, at The Allegro. He persuaded her to play for him and the classical music she had performed came back to her. It persuaded her to stay in Genoa City, and she convinced Jonas to also stay too and run The Allegro for her, which he renamed Jonas's. Once Leslie regained her memory, she sued to regain custody of her son, but the court ruled to keep him with Lorie, the only mother he remembered.

Lorie persuaded Liz to forgive Stuart for falling for Jill's tricks by telling her about her mother Jennifer's indiscretions and her own paternity, and how she had finally forgiven her mother on her mother's deathbed. Stuart and Liz were married, although Liz was daunted by her new life as the wife of a successful newspaper publisher. On the same day as their parent's wedding, Snapper and Chris had a baby girl, Jennifer Elizabeth Foster, named after both grandmothers.

Youngest daughter, Peggy, teamed up with Chronicle reporter Steve Williams to investigate The New World Brotherhood, and thanks to Peggy risking her life by infiltrating the cult, Nikki Reed and Paul Williams were freed from the cult, and Paul saved Peggy's life. Steve and Peggy began dating, but when Steve accepted a job in Washington D.C., Peggy reacted by succumbing to playboy Jack Abbott. When Steve realized that taking the job meant losing Peggy, he decided to stay on at the Chronicle. But Peggy continued her affair with Jack. Unable to get Jack to commit, Peggy accepted Steve's proposal, but when their wedding day arrived, she left Steve standing at the altar. Steve left town to work for a Washington, D.C. newspaper. A few months later Peggy realized that she was just another of Jack's many women, and she left Genoa City for Washington D.C. where Steve and a job at the same newspaper awaited her.

Lorie's mother-in-law, Vanessa, blackmailed her into divorcing Lance, but when they reconciled and considered remarriage, Lori was arrested for Vanessa's murder. But in the end, it was discovered that Vanessa knew she had an incurable disease, and hated Lorie so much, that she had set Lorie up for her own murder by jumping off her penthouse balcony in Lorie's presence, and Lorie was exonerated. During the trial the truth about Lance being the father of Brooks came out, and Lance was disgusted with both women. Lorie had also caused Lance to lose his company. When Brooks refused to accept anyone but Lucas as his father, Lance left town. Lori later conned Victor Newman into giving her Prentiss Industries, and she returned it to Lance.

In 1982, Snapper left Genoa City to accept a three-month fellowship teaching and research opportunity in London, but Chris refused to give up her modeling career at Jabot Cosmetics. Not long afterward, Chris realized her place was with Snapper, and she joined him in London. Liz, Stuart, and Greg moved to London as well by the end of the year.

In 1984, Liz returned to Genoa City a widow, with no mention of how or when Stuart had died. But in 1986, Liz returned to London and moved in with Chris and Snapper where she devoted herself to helping to raise her granddaughter, Jennifer, who had two hard-working parents. Liz died in Genoa City surrounded by her reunited children, on June 18, 2010, the cause of death, Wegener's disease; a rare, autoimmune disease.

In 2019, it was discovered that Stuart once had a crush on Dina in high school, quite obvious to anyone who saw them acting out Hamlet and Ophelia. But Dina was seriously dating John Abbott. Stuart and Dina snuck off together from a post-homecoming party at the Abbott estate and made love, but swore to each other it was a one time thing. After graduation instead of going to college, Dina spent a year abroad, never contacting her friends. Dina returned to Genoa City and to John. It turned out that Dina had been pregnant, and had a baby boy, who was adopted by Margaret and Ralph Vanderway in Chicago. They named him Eric. Eric grew up to be a union delegate for the teamsters, had a family, but died from a heart attack when his son Theo was 15 years old. Theo landed in Genoa City as an adult. The Abbott family was shocked to find out that Theo was family, especially Kyle who had been buddies with Theo when they lived in New York City.