Captain Dan Brady, a colorful, boisterous and well known veteran frontier scout who is famous throughout the East, is demanding to be taken on as trail scout. Hale faces a dilemma as he will lose a Government mail contract that is necessary to finance the wagon train if he doesn't hire Brady. But he will lose Flint, angered by Brady's bad advice to members of the wagon train, who threatens to quit if Brady stays on.

Kitty Albright is a registered nurse who's stagecoach is attacked and destroyed. Flint agrees to let her use her new skill on the wagon train. She quickly becomes disturbed at the lack of hygiene and health in general around the train.

Maud Frazer takes command of her wagon train after all the men are killed. Flint tries to dissuade Maud from going through hostile Indian country where there is gold.. She proceeds anyway but is forced to change plans.

Selena Hartnell joins the train after bandits attack her wagon. Later, she reveals she is a bounty hunter looking for William Barrett, a murderer on the run. It turns out that Barrett is Will Cottrell, the leader of pacifists on the train.

Clementine Jones is in the process of being thrown out of a town when a bank robbery occurs. One of the fugitives ends up joining the wagon train on the same wagon as one of the bank robbers is trying to escape on.

Jenna Douglas is found by scouts for the wagon train. She appears to have been a victim of a scavenger attack and is adopted by the train. As time goes on people on the train begin to have doubts about her story and her mental state.

Duke finds Flint's dying foster mother who asks Flint to check on her real son Artie who she hasn't seen in five years and has a reputation for getting into trouble with the law. Flint finds him on the right side of the law - or is he.

Mark Miner and his younger brother Matthew join the wagon train after making it appear their own wagon has broken down. The passengers of the train enjoy Mark's guitar and singing, but soon items and money begin disappearing. What they don't realize is that the two brothers want to frame Duke Shannon for the thievery, because they blame him for the imprisonment of their father and want revenge for it.

Lord Bruce Saybrook, London millionaire, takes his brother, wife and employee out west on a hunting trip hoping to repair his relationships. They run into hostile Indians. During the ensuing battle, everyone's the true character comes out.

Lizabeth Ann Calhoun meets the wagon train staff as they stop for supplies. She asks permission to join the train so she can avoid the advances of a young man she claims is in love with her, however his real motives may be very different.

Flint McCullough's involvement in a horse-stealing operation proves that he's ""gone bad."" Reluctantly, Chris Hale sentences him to 20 lashes and permanent banishment from the wagon train. Bill Hawks refuses to flog his friend so the punishment's administered by Sgt. Oakes from nearby Fort Henderson. Hawks soon learns that Flint's uncharacteristic behavior is part of a plan to infiltrate the gang of notorious outlaw, Angel de Muerte. Flint now travels to the ranch of Sam Upton and his sister Madge, a place rumored to have ties with Muerte. The fresh welts on Flint's back persuade Sam to take Flint to meet Muerte, but Flint soon realizes this bearded man is a stand-in for the real Muerte -- none other than Sam Upton himself. While taking Upton to Major Hansen at Fort Henderson, the outlaw dies in an escape attempt. Flint decides to split the $10,000 reward money with Madge Upton who was unaware of her brother's dual identity.

Bettina May leads three generations of her family across the plains. Other members of the wagon train as well as some family members become concerned with her over bearing nature and the level of control she exerts on the family.

Charlie's life undergoes an epiphany when he finds an injured buffalo and the animal befriends him. He takes the buffalo, who he calls Clyde, into the wagon train as a pet. Others, however, don't appreciate the trouble the creature causes.

A man finds a corpse that looks remarkably like himself. On an impulse he takes on the persona of the dead man only to find he was a living legend of west and had made a lot of enemies along the way.

Overwhelmed girl takes on her father's responsibility as man of the house after he passes. She cares for her pregnant mother and 5 sisters and is suspicious of a young drifter who joins the train and pays too much attention to the girls.

When three wagons are late in the desert, Chris sends Duke to find them and bring them to the wagon train as the train cannot wait for them. It may be a suicide mission due to water holes drying up and the missing people's personal issues.

An old con man trys to fleece the wagon train members of money by pretending to be a preacher trying to raise funds to build a church. He is outfoxed by Duke but redeems himself by aiding a dying woman.

Bill spots a young boy alone on the trail. He passes out but they later learn he can't talk but that he saw his dad killed by strangers for no apparent reason. Later, they run into Dr. Denker taking musical instruments to California.

Cowboy Lonnie Fallon is in love with Kathy Jennings---but her strict father forbids the relationship.

Jeff Hartfield becomes concerned when his sister Jenny begins dating Dallas who threatens him with an orphanage at journey's end. Jeff takes off but Dallas follows with deadly intent, believing Jeff knows the location of $30,000.

Judge Clay and his family join the wagon train. He has a reputation for cleaning up frontier towns, but his fanatical attention to the law sees him ostracized as often as he is praised. He must face this when his son must be tried by him.

A young lieutenant on his first assignment must face an overbearing, murderous sergeant who is determined to kill two deserters in cold blood. The sergeant wounds Chris thinking he is one of them and into a feud with Flint at the train.

The wagon master encounters opposition when he calls a halt to the train due to weather. One group needs to push on due to an inheritance in California. Chris and Duke take them but Duke injures his foot forcing him to stay in a cabin.

The wagon train encounters Amos Billings who tells of a new road that might shorten their trip and avoid Indian trouble. Chris and Flint are very suspicious of the situation since the location has been a dead end.

A teacher traveling with the wagon train encounters conflict when he become attracted to the daughter of a medicine man who has just joined the train. The man despises cowards and sees the teacher as one.