Little House On the Prairie

When the Big Woods of Wisconsin becomes a difficult spot for hunting, Charles Ingalls reluctantly decides to move his family to Kansas's more open and fertile land. Leaving their beloved relatives proves to be devastating, but the resiliency of the Ingalls spirit reigns supreme as they as they head out in their covered wagon.

The Ingalls family move to the banks of Plum Creek, near Walnut Grove, Minnesota. To acquire the deed to his farm, Charles takes several jobs.

Mary and Laura begin school at Walnut Grove. While Caroline must deal with the snippy Harriet Oleson, the rich part-owner of Oleson's Mercantile, Laura must deal with her spoiled daughter, Nellie.

A hailstorm leaves the Ingalls family's crops in ruin. To recoup the money, Charles and some friendly neighbors, including a light-hearted Englishman, work in a dangerous railroad blasting job.

While in Mankato, Charles encounters a drunken Mr. Edwards in the midst of a bar fight and brings him to Walnut Grove. To rehabilitate him, Charles gets him a job at Hansen's Mill, while Caroline tries to set him up with widow Grace Snider.

Laura has a crush on a new boy in school named Johnny Johnson, but Johnny is interested in Mary, who finds no interest in him. Laura believes Mary is trying to steal him from her, and they fight about it.

After the death of her dear friend, Miss Amy feels lonely for her family. While talking to the Ingalls girls at her funeral, Laura declares it is not fair for loved ones to ignore a birthday and always show up for a funeral.

While at a party at Nellie Oleson's, Laura hurts her ankle and becomes friends with Olga, a friendly girl with a birth defect causing one leg to be shorter than the other.

The girls and Charles decide to surprise Caroline with a romantic holiday. When Grace Snider cannot make it, Mr. Edwards volunteers for the job. Later on, he finds the Ingalls girls, especially Carrie, to be more than he can handle.

When Miss Beadle is injured and ordered to rest by Doc Baker, Caroline takes over as substitute teacher of Walnut Grove School. During her tenure, an uneducated youth named Abel McKay enrolled.

When Mary accidentally breaks Laura's glass doll, she brings home a raccoon to cheer Laura up. Laura keeps him and prides herself on teaching him tricks and his docile behavior.

Reverend Alden stirs a hornets' nest in Walnut Grove when he pleads for a church bell. Mrs. Oleson offers to donate a large bell as well as a plaque commemorating her generosity.

Mary is entranced by the award for an extra-credit exam, a beautiful dictionary. Her studying and carelessness causes a fire to start in the barn. Worried and furious, Caroline forbids her to take the exam.

The Ingalls family is delighted by the birth of a new baby boy, Charles Fredrick Ingalls. Unfortunately, Laura becomes jealous and refuses to pray for her new brother's good health.

When Christmas comes around, all the Ingallses are caught up in the secrecy and excitement. Charles and Mary take secret jobs to obtain a gift for their loved ones.

Nels Oleson has had it up to here with Harriet's snobbish, meddlesome behavior, particularly toward the Ingalls family. Mrs. Oleson does not take kindly to her husband's old-school beliefs, either.

When Harriet Oleson's niece, Kate (Anne Archer), comes to visit, Doc Baker falls for her and proceeds to court her. Unfortunately, doubt lingering in his mind about his age causes his hopes for a happy relationship to fade.

A typhus outbreak sweeps Walnut Grove, and several people become critically ill. The Ingalls family is spared, but Charles is not so lucky when he is exposed.

A medicine man adorned with bravado and sleight of hand stays with the Ingalls family and advertises his miracle powder. After residents start to prefer his powders over Doc Baker's medical treatment, the Ingallses send him packing.

When Miss Beadle discovers that a kindly boy in her class has taken another beating from his alcoholic father, the town council decides to take action. The Ingallses take in the boy and decide to help rehabilitate his father.

A university-educated farmer named Joseph Coulter convinces the farmers to buy new hybrid corn. During his return trip with the crop, Coulter's horses bolt, which caused his wagon to veer down a steep hill, trapping the farmer beneath and exposing the precious seed to hungry crows.

While returning from a family trip, the Ingalls receive a twofold warning from a mean-hearted Federal Marshal (Jack Ging): he warns them that a blizzard is coming and that a dangerous Indian fugitive is on the loose. He surprises them by claiming his crime was his birth into the Indian race.

Johnny Johnson leaves to "see the world" and Mr. Edwards goes along with him to keep him out of trouble. Johnny meets up with a girl who is able to trick him out of a lot of money. Mr. Edwards talks to this girl to try to have her convince Johnny to go back home.

With a Founder's Day event approaching for Walnut Grove, everyone prepares for a celebration complete with games and heated competition. Everyone in the Ingalls family ends up participating, most notably Charles, who finds an unlikely nemesis in the log-splitting competition.