
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 befriends Charlie Trent, a man who went from top Army scout to town drunk after he led his troops into a massacre.

A Deputy U.S. Marshal arrives to escort a man to California to testify against a gang; guest Dan Duryea.

An outlaw's harassment forces his wife to leave her deaf son and the safety of the Cartwright home.

Ben tries to help his paraplegic neighbor Tom by setting up a grain mill on his unused land; Tom's hired hand raises his suspicion about Ben's plan.