Meet the Kilcher family, who live on a 600-acre homestead in Alaska. With another brutal winter approaching, and bears having killed two of the family's cattle, they are forced to pin all of their hopes of surviving the winter on one last hunting trip.

The first storm of winter approaches as the family races to finish preparing for the next eight months; Atz herds cattle across flooded glacial rivers.

The storms hit earlier than expected; search for a newborn calf and its mother; Otto builds shelter for his herd.

Desperate for food, the Kilchers struggle to get through a harsh winter.

Spring arrives and the family deals with a rogue hen and hunts for food.

The family battles danger to drive their cattle to the summer pasture.

Atz begins range riding to protect Otto's cattle herd from predators.

The Kilchers call in favors to help build a fence before the high tide.

The Kilchers fish for the hundreds of pounds of fish needed over winter.

Atz Lee and Eiven travel to "Terrible Island" to hunt deer.

Fall arrives and the Kilchers scramble to finish their winter preparations.

Otto's sense of humor and ingenuity inspire his family and neighbors.

The Kilchers must not only reuse and recycle, but also reinvent.

With summer half over, the Kilchers head out fishing, but it's not for fun... at least, not entirely. They need hundreds of pounds of fish to eat and barter with during winter. Each couple has their own time-proven technique for catching salmon, halibut and trout.

Atz Lee and Eivin travel 160 miles and brave the bears of "Terrible Island" to hunt deer. Otto refuses to admit defeat and will use all the blackpowder he has to remove a pesky stump blocking his progress. Eve helps Charlotte solve a swarming bee problem.

Fall arrives; the Kilchers scramble to finish their winter prep. Otto confronts a predator killing calves from inside his herd. Atz Lee and Jane catch and smoke salmon in their secret fish camp. Eivin uses a samurai sword to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

Cattleman Otto Kilcher sees life a little differently. Some people think he's crazy, but he'll tell you it's just his willingness to accept whatever life brings him. Otto's sense of humor is infectious and his ingenuity inspires family and neighbor alike.

For the Kilchers, necessity truly is the mother of invention and recycling takes on a whole new level -- from bone yard scavengers and make-do parts to tasty roadkill suppers. And it's not just the Kilcher men who have to be tough and resourceful.

Late fall. Half the herd returns early from the summer grazing grounds so the Kilchers drive the rest home across icy rivers. The family rushes to finish other winter prep work but still makes time for a beach-scavenged gourmet picnic.

Take a deeper look at Kilcher family history with archived footage including Yule, the family patriarch and original homesteader. Otto and Atz share parenting insights and Otto and Eivin search for gold.

After 8 months of winter, the Kilchers have cabin fever. Eivin and Atz Lee get caught overnight in the backcountry hunting an Alaskan delicacy. Otto uses ingenuity to get an orphan calf to connect with an unwilling mother. And there's much to do with poo.

Family projects: Before the spring thaw floods the area, Atz Sr and his 3 sons build a bridge across a river using chainsaws and fallen logs. Otto and Eivin create two amphibious crafts from their ATVs. Meanwhile, Atz Lee and Jane build a new smokehouse.

Springtime on the homestead; Atz and the family goes on a black bear hunt; Atz, Sr.'s confidence wavers; Otto gives CPR to calves; Eve plants the family garden.

Atz Lee and Jane climb reefs to hunt for octopus. Jane must face her fear of heights or be trapped by the tide. Otto struggles to keep a newborn calf alive during the annual spring cattle drive. Eve gives Eivin news that will change the homestead forever.

Eivin and pregnant Eve decide to finally add running water to their home, but Eivin hits more than water during the installation. Otto builds Charlotte a milking parlor but takes a faceful of fuel in the process. Atz and Atz Lee head out to hunt bear.