The Pioneer Spirit

Plot

The legend of the Cartwright clan, which thrilled generations of Americans on the beloved series Bonanza, lives once again in this stirring, all-new saga of the Western frontier. The sea can be a cruel taskmaster, but it can also be a wise teacher in the ways of the world and the ways of man. The able young officer Benjamin Cartwright learned his lessons well. He learned the value of justice, honor, and hard work; he developed the qualities of resourcefulness and courage that enable a man to stand on his own. But the sea was not his destiny. The love of a woman would call Ben home to Boston... then sorrow would send him and his new son Adam away again. On this voyage he would take a team of oxen and a covered wagon -- ship of the prairie -- across a sea of hope and danger. The Cartwrights were bound for an open country where a young family could grow tall and strong and proud, their future resting on a distant horizon of crystal waters, snow-capped mountains, and sweeping forests of ponderosa pine.