Ida Grayson meets with a chilly reception from the townsfolk of Curtis Wells, who can't get past the color of her skin.
Ida's husband Aaron is killed by indians, whom Newt ends up fighting as well, when he comes across then before they have left the scene. Meanwhile, Clay and his friend Robert Shelby plan to steal the cossack gold which is to be arriving in town shortly, to be used to help fund the railroad. Newt continues his courtship of Hannah while Clay, still greiving over his lost Mary, also desires to have her. She however has fallen in love with Newt, and when he proposes, she accepts. . .her father however does not.
Josiah gives his permission for Newt and Hannah to marry, but their wedding is interrupted when Mosby and his gang rob the bank. Also, Ida buys the hotel with Newt's help, and renames it the Lonesome Dove.
While delivering a horse to the livery stable, Newt comes across a couple lying murdered in their barnyard. He and Hannah take in their young son, who hid in the chicken coop and witnessed the entire thing, and is so traumatized that he cannot speak. Also, a man being transported to jail escapes and steals the identity of the U.S. Marshall taking him there, when the man dies of a heart attack. He ends up in Curtis Wells, where Newt expects him. .as a U.S. Marshall . .to help find the boy's parents killers.
Newt tries to seek justice for the murder of an indian who saved his life, but ends up allowing the indians to mete out their punishment, when the white man's law fails. Meanwhile Clay's friend Robert is on the wrong side of a ""Hanging Judge"" when he is accused of the bank robbery and murder of the bank manager. After just winning the Pig's Eye Saloon, Clay's attention turns to figuring out how to save his lifelong friend, without ruining his chances at building a life in Curtis Wells.
After refusing to use the money Hannah's mother left her to finish their house more quickly, Newt finds another job. He becomes a scout for the army, assisting a hot tempered officer in tracking down a group of deserters. Meanwhile. . back in town, Hannah witnesses a different side of Clay, a kind, gentle side. When they join together to help some sick refugees, camped on the outskirts of town. .who may have cholera!!
Clay and Newt go after a group of whiskey traders, each with their own reasons. Meanwhile, Ida takes in the girlfriend of the gangs' driver, a man who just joined but wants out.
Buffalo Bill returns to offer Newt a job in his Wild West show, and they end up becoming partners to find a Cheyenne chief (Iron Bow)who has left the reservation without permission. After finding him and convincing him to return with them, they are betrayed by the officer who sent them out. When they assist Iron Bow in escaping they are arrested, but promptly break out of jail. Meanwhile. . Austin and Josiah argue when Austin plagiarizes a story and he takes of to Sweetwater. Hannah sneaks away after him to bring him home, then helps father and son make up.
After an altercation with a gunslinger, Austin believes it was his bullet who killed the man. The town begins to treat him like a hero, and he takes on a gunfighter's persona, which greatly pleases his new girlfriend. It is fairly short lived however when Clay informs him that he thinks it was someone else who killed the man, and that Austin was basically making a fool of himself playing the part of a gunfighter. Meanwhile, Newt and an undercover Pinkerton agent, Murphy (the man who REALLY killed the gunfighter), infiltrate the Irish gang that he was sent to capture.
The town pools their money to buy a herd of cattle to sell for a profit. Newt leads the drive along with Austin and several other townspeople, as well as one of Newt's old friends. The friend turns to foe however, when he shoots Newt and makes off with the cattle, assisted by a gang of rustlers. Also, Clay's old friend Olivia comes to town. . .an attractive woman who catches Josiah's eye.
On his way home from purchasing a new horse, Newt comes across an interracial couple, stranded in the wilderness, the woman with a badly injured leg. He takes them to town where they are worried they will not be welcome in the hotel (he being Caucasian and his wife African-American), little do they realize who owns the hotel. After the man finds out it will cost more to fix his wagon than he has, he heads to the Ambrosia where he proceeds to lose his wagon and team!! During a visit to the Call ranch, Mosby suggests a little wager. .if Newt can beat him in an upcoming horse race, he will return the couples wagon and team. If Newt loses however, his horse will be Mosby's!!! The day of the race arrives and just as Newt is winning, some boys ""borrow"" the doctors new bicycle right into the path of the oncoming horses. Mosby crosses the finish line first, but tells Newt that he knew he would have beaten him, therefore the man could pick up his wagon in the morning.
During a visit to Sweetwater for some R'n'R, Austin kills a man in self defense, after an argument over a woman. They leave town and are attacked by the man's fellow gang members and left for dead. Newt had fallen in the river and was carried quite a distance downstream, where he was found by Curtis (yes the one the town was named after). Austin wakes up to finds Newt gone, and he himself is ""rescued"" by the town sheriff, who promptly throws him in jail for ""murder"" As Newt recovers from his injuries, Curtis teaches him wilderness skills. He then returns to town to help Austin, and they go after the gang to recover the ring they had stolen from Newt, a gift for Hannah.
Mosby hires some men to ""buy"" land that he wants to sell to the coming railroad, by using scare tactics and force. He fires them however when they assault Hannah. Sheriff Kearney arrives in town and sets up office. Mosby is attacked in the Ambrosia, by the angry men,after the money Clay owes them. Josiah finds out Olivia was involved in the attacks on the ranchers, and she decides to leave town.
Newt catches a ride on a stagecoach, and gets a chance to observe the other passengers.
When Hannah's former sweetheart, an ex-con, comes to town, circumstances convince Newt that the town's temporary sheriff shouldn't be trusted.
Newt and Hannah head to the big city to catch Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and when someone can't perform, Hannah steps in.
A mysterious photographer comes to town, and Clay temporarily forgets about Hannah as he is drawn to her. Unfortunately, she's come to Curtis Wells as part of her final journey.
Newt has to play referee between a negligent father and his angry daughter.
After Curtis finds gold nearby, the town is swamped with a gold rush. Even Austin is caught up in the excitement, becoming partners with Curtis and heading out to the claim. Soon, a small company of calvary arrive in town, led by a man named Captain Armstrong, whom Mosby believes was responsible for the death of his wife and entire family. After Mosby kidnaps him and attempts to get a confession out of him, Newt throws Mosby in jail. It's then discovered that the so called calvary are there not to transport the gold to the Denver mint, but to steal it and flee to Canada!! Newt ends up letting Mosby out of jail and the two team up to recover the gold and bring the thieves to justice. After a confrontation with Armstrong, Mosby finally gets the information he was looking for, before Armstrong commits suicide.
When Newt is presumed dead, Hannah turns to Mosby for comfort. Meanwhile, Newt's recently arrived father is determined to find his son alive.
Hannah is torn between Newt and Mosby, and Newt has finally had enough of Mosby chasing after his wife.
