
Ben Cartwright is the patriarch of an all-male Nevada ranching family. Set during and after the Civil War, "Bonanza" is the story of life on the family's thousand-acre spread, known as the Ponderosa, near Virginia City. Ben has his three sons, each with a different (and deceased) mother. Serious eldest son Adam hopes to follow in his father's footsteps; middle son Hoss is a gentle giant -- physically strong, but sometimes naive; and youngest son Little Joe is the most impetuous and romantic of the offspring.
Hoss and Little Joe spend the most unforgettable night at the carnival when Little Joe's date disappears.
Jeb Drummond is a murderous sheep herder who has Adam taken hostage to try and force Ben to sign over a large section of Ponderosa land to him.
The Cartwrights befriend a boy whose father has been sent to jail and whose mother has recently died.
Little Joe runs into romantic complications when he tries to teach a deaf girl sign language; guest Albert Salmi.