Strange Empire

Kat and Jeremiah Loving want to build up a new existence in Canada with a ranch when their baby dies. This brings them into the notice of Captain John Slotter, who, together with his wife Isabelle, a former prostitute, has experienced a similar fate. During a hunting trip the men are attacked and allegedly killed by Indians, but Kat has another suspicion.

Kat offers John Slotter to trade her adopted daughters Kelly and Robin for his brothel. Rebecca gets $1,000 from her husband for her return trip to Toronto but she uses the money to buy Kat and her daughters with the help of juggler Jack and Isabelle's support. Rebecca stabs the overflowing coachman in self-defense, who is buried by Franklyn.

When Cornelius Slotter arrives with the payroll, Isabelle and John present him with the newborn baby of the young prostitute as his grandson. He believes them and is happy about the alleged grandchild. Kat finds more bodies and doesn't let go of her suspicion that John Slotter is behind the murders. When he shoots the preacher Jamie, Thomas and Rebecca try in vain to save him.

John Slotter tries to arrest two Indians for the murders of the men who had previously been captured by the dubious whiskey dealer Roy Arnold in an Indian village. Jared accuses Isabelle of being a prostitute and wants to tell John about it. When Kat helps the two Indians to escape, she is taken prisoner herself and sentenced to death.

After Slotter cheats on Isabelle in front of her eyes, she seeks comfort from Ling. Rebecca and Morgan confess their love for each other. After Constance Pike's proposal for marriage is accepted, they celebrate frantically. Kat leaves the town with her daughters Kelly and Robin to live with her Indian relatives.

Abe makes Fiona Briggs advances. She considers whether to accept his request, but Abe is becoming violent. Kat comes to her aid and shoots Abe. She's taking up the offered position as sheriff. Slotter shoots Morgan's pony, and Robin then uses the ghost trumpet to reveal an event from his childhood with his pony. Rebecca explores the mysteries of electricity and the human body.

When their adopted daughters are threatened by cattle thieves, Kat comes to their aid and delivers the men to Caleb. Thomas' leg has to be amputated, but he fights strictly against it. After he finally agrees to be operated by Rebecca, she finds out that an amputation comes too late since the gangrene has spread too far.

The tramp Lucy, her daughter Martha and the Prophet Jordan Young show up at camp. Jordan is very interested in Kelly and promises Isabelle to invest in her mine if she allows him to marry Kelly. Slotter's workers are on strike and he's trying to make a deal with Ling. Young turns out to be a murderer who killed his own brother, Lucy's husband and Martha's father, and is now married to both women.

The quarrel between the white and Chinese miners is escalating. Ling wants to own more shares in Slotter's mine. In an argument, Cat's stepson Neill shoots the Chinese Lao and injures him badly. The man is taken to Rebecca, who manages to save him. Slotter's men Franklyn and Red blow up Ling's house on Slotter's order and accidentally kill Ling's mother.

Franklyn and many of his men are killed in an explosion. While Rebecca takes care of the injured, a rescue tunnel is being dug to get the possible survivors out of the buried cave. John's father Cornelius reaches the post office and sees the pretty daughter of the blacksmith Joseph, a good friend of Caleb. Cornelius demands that John "obtains" the girl in return for his financial support.

After John kills the blacksmith Joseph, Kat locks him up. To convict Slotter, she's looking for evidence of the murder of the settler's wives' husbands. One of Slotter's men, Chase Sloat, is in bad conscience and admits to having cut out Kat's son's tongue and that Slotter and his entourages are responsible for the rest of the murders.

Slotter chases his miners away, including Franklyn. He steals the arms of the settlers' wives and threatens them, which is why they flee into the forest. Rebecca doesn't dare flee and stays with Slotter. To get weapons and kill Slotter and his men, Kat sets out with her daughters to her Indian tribe.

John Slotter reads out his testament, in which he bequeaths a part to his father Cornelus, Ling and Isabelle. Isabelle must be remarried if she wants to inherit the estate. John is sentenced to death for killing the man who raped Morgan. Shortly before the sentence is enforced, Slotter manages to escape by means of weapons given to him by Isabelle. He's asking Kat to follow him.