Canadian trapper Pasquinel (Robert Conrad) saves Scottish fugitive McKeag (Richard Chamberlain) from Pawnees then later weds Lise (Sally Kellerman), daughter of a silversmith.
Fur trapper Pasquinel makes Clay Basket (Barbara Carrera) his wife after recently marrying Lise; McKeag's fight with Pasquinel's son ends a thriving partnership.
Elderly McKeag befriends Zendt (Gregory Harrison) and his wife, Elly (Stephanie Zimbalist), heading from Pennsylvania to Oregon.
With settlers fearing attacks, Col. Skimmerhorn (Richard Crenna) forms a private army; placed in charge of the regular government troops, he arrests Maj. Mercy for treason.
British investors commission Skimmerhorn (Cliff De Young) to lead a cattle drive through the region between Texas and Colorado.
Sheepman Garrett threatens a range war with landowners Lloyd (William Atherton) and Brumbaugh (Alex Karras). Sheriff Dumire (Brian Keith) refuses to intervene; Lloyd and Brumbaugh fight back.
A blizzard devastates the Venneford ranch; Secombe faces charges of fraud; Levi returns to Pennsylvania for a visit and is shunned by the community.
The Wendells (Anthony Zerbe, Lois Nettleton) look for other likely prospects after cheating the Rev. Holly out of his home; the Venneford ranch tries out Hereford cattle on approval.
Widow Secombe's (Lynn Redgrave) pending marriage to Lloyd is subject to his romance with Clemma (Cristina Raines); Wendell makes a killing in real estate.
As Charlotte crusades for the rights of downtrodden Mexicans, the Grebes' good fortune takes a sudden turn for the worse.
A journalist (Sharon Gless) and a historian (Andy Griffith) interview a current resident (David Janssen) of Centennial who recalls citizens and the rise and fall of the Venneford cattle empire.