The Ingallses have to seek shelter when a blizzard hits. There they meet an Indian who helps them out. A marshall, looking for the Indian, comes by...

It's time for baseball! After losing badly last year, Walnut Grove expects to win with their star pitcher, Mr. Mumford. People in Walnut Grove are so confident that they are going to win, they place bets on the game. However, Mr. Mumford's wife won't let her husband play because of the gambling. Caroline convinces Mr. Mumford's wife to let her husband play on the condition that any money made from the game goes to the church.

Charles and Caroline sign Mary up for the blind school in Iowa. At first, Mary is very reluctant to learn anything at the school. However, after being with her teacher, Adam Kendall, for a while, she turns her outlook on life around. Mary is such a great student that Adam asks her to help her teach at a blind school with him.

Almanzo asks for Laura's hand in marriage. Mr. Ingalls tells Almanzo to wait until Laura was eighteen. Not wanting to wait, Almanzo forces Laura to choose him or respect her father. Laura respects her father's wishes. Almanzo leaves town and causes Laura a lot of heartache. Harriet hires Percival Dalton to help her in the restaurant. Nellie and Percival fall in love and eventually Percival asks Nellie to marry him. Adam's father dies, which means that a new blind school wouldn't be built in Walnut Grove.

Mary falls in love with Seth. When Mary's eyesight starts to get worse, Charles takes her to a specialist. He is devastated when the specialist tells him that Mary will lose her sight. Charles is unable to tell Mary for a while that she is going blind. When Mary does go blind, the whole family suffers.

Laura helps Adam and Mary set up a new blind school in Sleepy Eye to try to get her mind off of Almanzo. Almanzo gets very sick.

Laura and Mary start school for the first time. That is where they meet Nellie Oleson. Since Laura hasn't been to school before, she tries especially hard with her schoolwork. The students have to write an essay to present in front of the class. Laura recites what she would have written on the paper if she could have, instead of what was actually written on it.

In the beginning, things look very good for the Ingalls until a bad hailstorm ruins their crops. Charles and some other farmers must leave to look for work. They end up working in a quarry. While Charles is away, Caroline is able to get the women of Walnut Grove to join together to harvest the remaining crops.

After the mill closes, Charles is unable to pay off his debt at the mercantile. Mr. Hanson is forced to close the mill after one of his big customers declares bankruptcy. This was after Hanson had already shipped them a bunch of lumber. Charles had been expecting two months worth of wages before Hanson was forced to close down. Charles must taken on several jobs at the same time. Mary gets a job to help the family, while Laura does the chores at home. When the bill finally gets paid, Nels tells Charles that he thinks Charles is the richest man in Walnut Grove, since he has a very loving family.

The school's new teacher is Ms. Wilder. Laura falls in love with Ms. Wilder's brother Almanzo. Laura is crushed when Nellie invites Almanzo over for dinner. Laura gets even with Nellie by volunteering to cook dinner for them. Laura adds some hot spices to the chicken and since Nellie had said that she had cooked the meal, Almanzo stays away from Nellie.

When Laura and Nellie get in a fight about the graduation test, Almanzo separates them and takes Laura home with him. When Charles finds out that Almanzo took Laura home with him, Charles goes to Almanzo's place and punches Almanzo because he fears his daughter was being taken advantage of. Laura yells at the fighting pair and tells them that she is no longer a child.

Adam Simms and his son Luke move into town. Adam falls in love with Miss Beadle, while Luke and Nellie Oleson fall for each other. After Miss Beadle talks to Nellie about love and marriage, Nellie and Luke decide to get married.

Mary eagerly accepts a teaching job in a backwoods community, only to face the sternest test of her career and life when she meets the community's leader: an elderly woman who is totally against education but has concealed a shameful secret.

Nels' brother sends his 12-year-old son to Walnut Grove after repeated conflicts at home and school. When Mrs. Oleson interferes in her husband's plans to rehabilitate his nephew, Nels asks Charles to step in and teach the boy some values.

Each student must trace their family tree for a school assignment. Albert is unsure how he can do the assignment. The Ingalls decide to legally adopt Albert, but run into problems when Mr. Quinn, Albert's father shows up. He wants Albert until he sees him. Albert pretends to be blind with the hope that his father wouldn't want him. The blindness does the trick. Albert is legally adopted by the Ingalls.

Mrs. Olesen may finally get to drive those ""homely"" Ingalls from Walnut Grove for good when the family gets an inheritance from a wealthy relative. Against their better judgement, Charles spends the money on farm equipment and other things before finding out he used worthless Confederate funds to make the purchases.

While Charles is in Mankato, he runs into Mr. Edwards and invites him to come to Walnut Grove. Caroline tries to match Mr. Edwards up with Grace Snider, but instead she just ends up in the way since Mr. Edwards is able to charm Grace all by himself. Although there are a couple problems that must be overcome, things turn out for the best in the end.

Laura falls in love with a new student, Johnny Johnson. Johnny, who is a lot older than Laura, is interested in Mary instead. Although Mary is not interested in Johnny, Laura's actions cause tension between the sisters. When Charles finds this out, he is appalled that either of his girls is involved with Johnny.

Laura connects with a sweet, shy classmate named Olga Nordstrom, who happens to have been born with a short leg. Charles has an idea that can change Olga’s entire life, but the challenge will be convincing the child’s stubborn widowed father.

Charles allows Laura to adopt a baby raccoon, Jasper. After being caged, the raccoon bites Laura and Jack and runs away. The family fears that Laura and Jack might have rabies until a healthy Jasper returns.

The Christmas holiday is approaching and the members of the Ingalls family go about their holiday shopping in secrecy. Laura is able to buy her mom a stove that she wanted after she sells her horse to Mr. Oleson.

After a major disagreement, Nels and Harriet go their separate ways. Many people in town try to get the two back together.

Several people in Walnut Grove get very sick. A quarantine is set up in the church while the source of the illness is being sought.

A college-educated farmer named Joe moves to Walnut Grove with his pregnant wife. He tells the Walnut Grove-area farmers of a new hybrid of corn that would produce good crops, to which the farmers are very enthused. They decide to buy some of this new seed. While on the way back to Walnut Grove with the seed, Joe gets into an accident, as the farmers wait for his return.

Laura goes into a haunted house when Nellie dares her to do it. She becomes a friend of the old man that lives there, Mr. Pike. She finds out that he is waiting for his wife to return. After Laura learns that Mrs. Pike died years ago, she helps Mr. Pike cope with the death of his wife.