
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.

Shortly after the Ponderosa cattle herd arrives in San Francisco at the hands of Hoss, Joe and Ben, two of their trail drivers are shanghaied and destined for Hong Kong.

A potential mayoral candidate attempts to stir up trouble between majority and minority groups in town.

A former dance hall girl poses as a Spanish heiress to claim a land grant that includes part of the Ponderosa; guest Sebastian Cabot.

As Ben prepares to run for governor, Joe must come to his rescue when a disabled police officer from New Orleans comes to arrest Ben on a 20-year-old murder charge.