
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.
Newspaperman Samuel Clemens (Howard Duff), writing as Mark Twain, battles a judge involved in land fraud.
A sheriff's daughter runs off with her boyfriend (John Ericson), unaware he is a murderous bank robber.
An outlaw joins the Cartwrights' cattle drive, knowing it will take him to the town where his father is the sheriff.
Little Joe falls for cynical saloon owner Julia Bulette, despite family objections and warnings from a rival.