With another brutal winter approaching, and bears having killed two of the family's cattle, the Kilchers are forced to pin all of their hopes of surviving the season on one last hunting trip.

The first storm of winter is approaching and the entire homestead must rush to finish preparing for the next eight months. Otto and Eivin climb trees for firewood, while Atz Sr. races ahead of the storm to lead a herd of cattle across flooded rivers.

The early winter storms leave the entire homestead unprepared. A desperate search for a newborn calf and its mother forces Otto's wife and her son into a night snowstorm, while Otto builds a shelter for his herd.

The extended Kilcher family struggles to get through a record-breaking harsh winter. Desperate for food, Atz Lee and Jane venture onto the ice to try fishing. Patriarchs Otto and Atz embark on a dangerous mission to bring aid to a fellow homesteader.

Spring finally arrives on the homestead and Eivin mills lumber, builds a chicken house and helps Eve take out a rogue, cannibal hen. Desperate for food, Jane goes fishing for king salmon, while Atz Lee hunts for black bear.

Otto and family battle the elements and predators to drive their cattle to the summer pasture. A missing calf causes Otto and Eivin to head out on a dangerous late night rescue mission. Atz Lee and Jane build a makeshift greenhouse from cast-off supplies.

Atz begins his summer range riding season to protect Otto's cattle, while a bear menaces from the edge and a wolf invades the herd. Otto and family race the clock and the elements to gather winter's hay crop. Eivin and Eve's cannibal hen strikes again.

The Kilchers rally and call in favors to tackle their largest project this season. They have 48 hours to build a long cattle fence and rebuild a cabin, or the river’s treacherous tide will trap their barge full of critical equipment for another month.

Summer is half over and the Kilchers need hundreds of pounds of fish to eat and barter with during the winter. Each couple demonstrates 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 and the Kilchers scramble to finish their winter preparations. Otto confronts a predator killing calves, while Atz Lee and Jane catch salmon. Eivin uses a samurai sword to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

Cattleman Otto Kilcher sees life a little differently than most people. His sense of humor and ingenuity inspire his family and neighbors alike.

For the Kilchers, necessity truly is the mother of invention. Their subsistence lifestyle requires that they not only reuse and recycle, but also reinvent.